<3 


^ultjbU; 


American  actor  Series 


EDITED    BY    LAURENCE    HUTTON 


AMERICAN   ACTOR    SERIES 


THE  ELDER  AND  THE  YOUNGER 


BOOTH 


BY   ASIA   BOOTH   CLARKE 


.    BOSTON 

JAMES    R.   OSGOOD   AND   COMPANY 
1882 


Copyright,  iSSr, 
BY  JAMES  R.  OSGOOD  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved. 


UNIVERSITY  PRESS: 
JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON.  CAMBRIDGE. 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

PAGE 

THE  ELDER  BOOTH     l 


PART   II. 
THE  YOUNGER  BOOTH U7 

INDEX lSl 


22252(17 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH Frontispiece 

From  a  Daguerreotype  taken  in  1848. 

FAC-SIMILE  OF  PLAY-BILL 21 

JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH  AS  "POSTHUMUS"       .  .42 

JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH  AS  RICHARD  III.    .        .       .         73 

LETTER  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH 95 

EDWIN  BOOTH 117 

EDWIN  BOOTH  AS  "RICHELIEU" 155 

From  a  Portrait  by  John  Collier  of  London. 


PART    I. 

THE    ELDER    BOOTH. 

1796-1852. 


"  And  Booths  were  created  for  the  entertainment  of  the  people, 
and  were  much  resorted  to."  —  VIEW  OF  LONDON. 


THE   ELDER   BOOTH. 


JUNTOS  BRUTUS  BOOTH  was  born  on  the  first  day  of 
May,  1796,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Pancras,  London.  His 
grandmother,  Elizabeth  Wilkes,  was  a  relative  of  John 
Wilkes,  and  through  his  mother  he  inherited  the  blood 
of  the  Welsh  Llewellyns. 

The  Booths  and  Wilkes  of  Clerkenwell  were  hon- 
orably known  in  their  time  ;  the  house  of  Bishop  Bur- 
net,  an  historical  old  building,  was  the  birthplace  of 
many  of  the  Booths,  and  the  yard  of  the  ancient  church 
of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  still  contains  the  gravestones 
of  their  descendants,  on  which  the  names  of  the  two 
families  are  frequently  intermingled.  Ruin  and  demo- 
lition have  been  busy,  the  black  mould  of  years  is  over 
the  narrow  streets  and  byways ;  but  the  little  court 
keeps  its  name  of  "Booth,"  and  the  graves  in  the 
narrow  slip  of  church-ground  seem  likely  to  last  till 
doomsday. 

Richard  Booth,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  the 
present  sketch,  was  educated  for  the  law ;  but,  becoming 
infatuated  with  Republicanism,  he  left  home,  in  com- 
pany with  his  cousin  John  Brevitt,  to  embark  for  Amer- 
ica (then  at  war  with  England),  determined  to  fight  in 
her  cause.  Booth  was  taken  prisoner  and  brought 
back  to  England,  where  he  subsequently  devoted  him- 


4  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

self  to  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  and  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  If  any  punishment  was  inflicted  for  his 
disloyalty,  it  has  never  transpired.  He  lived  in  affluent 
circumstances  in  Bloomsbury,  and  was  a  scholar  of  repu- 
tation, though  of  eccentric  character ;  but  his  vaunted 
love  of  Republicanism  rendered  him  unpopular  both  as 
a  lawyer  and  as  a  man.  He  kept  a  picture  of  General 
Washington  in  his  drawing-room,  before  which  he  in- 
sisted that  all  who  entered  should  bow  with  reverence. 

The  other  young  rebel,  Brevitt,  escaped  to  America, 
fought  against  England,  was  made  a  captain,  and  sub- 
sequently married  a  Quakeress  of  Baltimore,  readily 
transforming  himself  into  a  Friend  and  an  American. 

The  subjoined  copies  of  letters  on  the  subject  of  this 
patriotic  enterprise  entered  into  by  Booth  and  Brevitt 
may  be  interesting  here,  the  original  papers  forming 
part  of  the  collection  of  the  Wilkes  papers,  now  in  the 
British  Museum.  Richard  Booth  at  the  age  of  twenty 
addressed  the  first  to  "the  great  Wilkes."  The  De- 
fender of  Liberty  sent  it  immediately  to  the  father, 
John  Booth,  who  after  perusal  returned  it  with  a  letter 
expressive  of  his  own  views  of  the  conduct  of  his  son 
and  nephew,  vouching  for  their  integrity  and  respecta- 
bility, but  evidently  in  much  distress  of  mind.  The 
reply  is  highly  significant. 

To  jfohn  Wilkes,  Esq.,  Princes  Court,  Westminster. 

PARIS,  Oct.  28th,  '77. 

SIR,  —  You  will  certainly  be  much  surprised  at  the 
receipt  of  this  letter,  which  comes  from  two  persons  of 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  5 

whom  you  cannot  possibly  have  the  least  knowledge, 
who  yet  at  the  same  time  claim  the  Honour  of  being  of 
the  same  Family  as  yourself.  Our  conduct  has  certainly 
been  in  some  respects  reprehensible,  for  too  rashly  put- 
ting in  execution  a  project  we  had  for  a  long  time  con- 
ceived. But  as  it  was  thro'  an  ardent  desire  to  serve 
in  the  Glorious  cause  of  Freedom,  of  which  you  have 
always  been  Fam'd  for  being  the  Strict  and  great  De- 
fender, we  trust  the  request  we  are  about  to  make  will 
be  paid  regard  to.  As  Englishmen,  it  may  be  urged 
that  we  are  not  altogether  Justified  in  taking  arms 
against  our  native  Country,  but  we  hope  such  a  vague 
argument  will  have  no  weight  with  a  Gentleman  of  your 
well-known  abilities ;  for  as  that  country  has  almost 
parted  with  all  its  Rights,  which  have  been  given  up  to 
the  present  Tyrannic  Government,  it  must  be  thought 
the  Duty  of  every  true  Briton  to  assist  those  who  op- 
pose oppression  and  lawless  Tyranny.  And  as  the  peo- 
ple of  America  are  composed  of  men  who  have  still  the 
spirit  of  their  brave  Forefathers  remaining,  it  becomes 
all  who  are  Englishmen  to  exert  their  utmost  efforts  in 
their  behalf,  leaving  their  Country  for  that  purpose ; 
being  no  more  (as  we  presume)  than  the  Romans,  in 
the  war  between  Octavius  and  Anthony  on  the  one 
part,  and  those  illustrious  worthys,  Brutus  and  Cassius, 
on  the  other,  going  from  the  army  of  the  Tyrants  to 
serve  in  that  of  the  latter,  and  therefore  equally  justi- 
fiable. 

"  Dulce  et  Decorum  est  pro  patria  mori, 
Sed  pro  Libertate  mori,  Dulcissimum  est." 

The  manner  in  which  we  have  conducted  ourselves 


6  THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 

has  been  so  very  extraordinary  as  to  be  scarcely  cred- 
ible, but  we  are  assured  the  Bearer  of  this  Letter  will 
convince  you  of  its  Authenticity.  In  short,  we  left 
England,  and  all  the  advantageous  prospects  we  had 
there,  purposely  to  go  and  serve  in  the  Army  of  the  Sons 
of  Liberty,  the  brave  Americans.  In  order  to  complete 
the  Enterprise  we  came  from  London  under  a  pretence 
of  going  on  a  party  of  pleasure  to  the  Camp  at  Warley 
Common,  but  instead  of  proceeding  thither,  we  went 
immediately  for  Margate  and  thence  to  Ostend,  and 
have  since  arrived  here,  where  we  came  to  wait  upon 
the  Gentlemen  who  are  Agents  for  the  Congress  in 
America,  in  order  to  the  full  completion  of  our  Design 
of  getting  appointed  officers  in  the  Provincial  Service, 
but  for  that  purpose  have  since  found  it  necessary  to 
procure  a  Letter  of  recommendation  from  some  Gen- 
tleman in  the  Interest  of  Liberty  in  England,  and  un- 
derstand from  Mr.  Arthur  Lee  (who  has  promised  to 
interest  himself  greatly  in  our  behalf),  that  no  recom- 
mendation will  be  of  more  service  to  us  than  yours. 
Our  request  therefore  is,  that  you  will  condescend  to 
give  one  in  our  favour,  directed  to  that  Gentleman  at 
the  "  Hotel  de  la  Reine,  la  Rue  des  Bons  Enfants,  a 
Paris,"  which  you  will  please  to  deliver  to  the  Bearer 
hereof,  as  soon  as  possibly  convenient.  And  the  favour 
will  be  gratefully  remembered,  and  the  name  of  Wilkes 
be  always  held  in  the  greatest  respect  and  veneration 
by,  Sir, 

Your  most and  obed'  Serv'ts  at  command, 

R.  BOOTH. 

JOHN  BREVITT. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTff.  7 

To  John  Wilkes,  Esqr. 

Nov.  sth,  1777. 

SIR,  —  I  cannot  but  express  the  deepest  concern  when 
I  reflect  on  the  Imprudence  of  my  Son  and  Nephew, 
in  taking  the  liberty  of  addressing  you  without  your 
first  being  apprised  of  it  and  your  approbation  for  so 
doing.  My  uneasiness  is  not  a  little  heightened  when 
I  consider  to  what  Length  their  unguarded  youth  may 
lead  them,  and  the  various  expressions  which  their 
thoughtless  Pens  may  have  made  use  of.  I  must  assure 
you,  sir,  nothing  could  be  more  foreign  to  mine  and  to 
their  Mother's  inclinations,  nor  could  anything  stimulate 
them  to  it  but  their  looking  up  to  you  as  the  sacred 
Protector  of  the  greatest  Blessing  on  Earth,  fair  Free- 
dom, and  your invariable  struggles  for  the  Protec- 
tion of  it. 

I  cannot,  however,  but  flatter  myself  that  should  at 
any  Time  a  correspondence  take  place  between  you 
and  Mr.  Lee,  and  these  two  youths  be  the  subject  of  it, 
that  you  would  speak  of  them  as  children  of  those  who 
stood  foremost  in  Friendship  for  you,  and  who  are  not 
a  little  happy  in  the  connection  of  Blood  with  which 
we  stand. 

.  .  .  These  youths,  sir,  have,  as  you  are  pleased  to 
observe,  to  lament  their  not  being  personally  known 
to  you  ;  but  I  bless  God,  the  best  of  characters  can  be 
had  of  them  from  Persons  of  the  greatest  merit  and 
Fortune. 

Your  ob'dt  humble  S'rv't, 

JOHN  BOOTH. 


8  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

"John  Booth,  Silversmith,"  further  adds  that  he  has 
exerted  himself  at  the  election  at  Brentford  in  Wilkes's 
behalf,  and  will  use  his  interest,  which  he  flatters  him- 
self is  not  inconsiderable,  at  a  future  time,  not  far  dis- 
tant, when  he  will  also  aid  by  a  personal  appearance. 

He  offers  for  his  acceptance  a  piece  of  plate,  not  to 
obtain  favor  (meaning  the  restoration  of  his  son  and 
nephew),  but  in  grateful  return  for  what  "  I  and  every 
lover  of  Freedom  owe  to  you  as  the  Friend  and  Guar- 
dian of  our  rights." 

These  rebellious  missives  served  to  keep  alive  that 
fire  of  patriotism  which  found  expression  when,  in  later 
years,  Booth  named  his  sons  Junius  Brutus  and  Alger- 
non Sydney.  He  married  a  Miss  Game  or  Gam, 
whose  relatives  now  living  in  South  America  trace  their 
descent  from  an  old  hero  of  Agincourt.  Mrs.  Booth 
died  at  the  birth  of  her  third  child,  a  daughter. 

Junius  Brutus  received  a  classical  education,  and 
early  showed  a  decided  taste  for  drawing  and  literature. 
He  learned  printing,  but  abandoned  it  for  the  law,  and 
for  a  time  remained  in  his  father's  office,  transcribing 
from  his  dictation  dry  and  turgid  documents.  Evin- 
cing a  desire  for  the  navy,  he  was  rated  as  midshipman 
on  board  the  brig  "  Boxer,"  commanded  by  Captain 
Blythe.  The  vessel's  destination  being  changed  from 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  American  coast,  his  father 
dissuaded  him  from  going ;  and  in  an  engagement  with 
the  enemy  the  "  Boxer  "  lost  all  her  crew,  excepting  a 
cabin  boy. 

Not  possessing  that  universal  genius  generally  attrib- 
uted to  those  who  attain  eminence,  Junius  Booth  es- 


THE  ELDER   BOOTH.  g 

sayed  one  art  after  another,  and,  feeling  the  insufficiency 
of  painting,  poetry,  and  sculpture,  his  ever  restless  mind 
found  its  true  element  in  the  art  of  the  actor.  Avow- 
ing his  determination  to  adopt  the  stage,  he  left  his 
home  against  the  wishes  of  his  father,  and  made  an 
engagement  with  Mr.  Penley  at  Deptford.  He  began 
his  professional  career  as  Campillo  in  "The  Honey- 
moon" on  the  1 3th  December,  1813,  at  a  salary  of 
one  pound  a  week.  He  afterwards  accompanied  Mr. 
Penley  to  the  Continent  on  a  professional  tour  of  some 
months. 

The  life  of  a  strolling  player,  although  beset  with 
difficulties,  possessed  certain  charms  for  the  young 
aspirant,  but  he  now  yearned  to  try  his  talents  in  the 
metropolis.  He  had  met  with  encouragement  from 
many  persons  of  taste  and  judgment,  and  accordingly 
applied  to  different  London  managers  for  an  engage- 
ment, among  others  to  Mr.  Harris  of  Covent  Garden 
Theatre.  All  efforts  proved  useless,  however,  and  he 
reluctantly  accepted  an  offer  from  the  Worthing  and 
Brighton  Theatres  for  the  season  commencing  in  the 
summer  of  1815,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Trotter.  The  following  letter  is  from  Anthony  Pas- 
quin  (Dr.  Williams),  and  not  without  interest  here. 

BRUSSELS,  June  9,  1815. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  received  your  letter.  As  to  in- 
terfering further  between  you  and  Mr.  Harris,  I  have 
only  this  answer  to  return,  namely,  that  he  is,  and  will 
be,  the  governing  judge  of  what  concerns  his  theatre ; 
and  I  have  done  all  that  I  can  at  least  immediately  do, 


I0  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

by  introducing  you  to  his  notice.  The  rest  remains 
with  yourself.  In  your  engagement  at  Brighton  during 
the  summer,  I  would  recommend  it  to  you  to  play  some 
of  your  best  parts,  such  as  Richard  the  Third,  Norval, 
Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  but  particularly  Richard  for 
your  benefit,  as  there  may  be  many  eyes  directed  to- 
ward you,  in  pursuance  of  the  favorable  report  which  I 
deemed  it  necessary  to  make  of  your  exertions.  I  have 
not  the  honor  to  know  Mr.  Trotter,  the  manager,  but 
am  persuaded  he  will  see  clearly  that  you  are  far  above 
the  common  class  of  theatrical  tyros. 

You  have  learning  and  a  proper  sense  of  your  present 
critical  situation ;  then  use  both  to  the  furtherance  of 
your  dramatic  reputation ;  but  do  not  attend  to  the 
suggestion  of  every  trifling  observer,  but  rather  act  from 
your  own  feelings  with  an  occasional  reference  to  that 
great  model  of  real  perfection  in  many  characters,  Mr. 
John  Kemble.  But  above  all  preserve  a  modest  de- 
meanor, though  you  may  feel  internally  vain,  as  all  men 
have  vanity,  with  this  distinction,  that  the  blockhead 
renders  his  weakness  apparent,  and  the  sensible  man 
does  not. 

I  shall  be  in  England,  in  all  probability,  before  the 
announcement  of  the  winter  theatres.  When  you  ar- 
rive at  Brighton,  seek  for  a  Mr.  Sicklemar,  and  present 
him  my  kindest  remembrances,  for  he  is  truly  a  worthy 
man,  and  his  advice  and  protection  may  be  eminently 
serviceable  to  you. 

We  are  all  in  a  state  of  military  bustle,  with  the  com- 
mon enemy  at  our  gates. 

Believe  me  your  friend  and  very  humble  servant, 

J.  WILLIAMS. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  M 

P.  S.  Keep  the  terms  of  your  engagement  a  secret ; 
and  read  at  your  leisure  the  part  of  Achmet  in  "  Bar- 
barossa." 

To  MR.  JUNIUS  BOOTH. 

Mr.  Booth  received  thirty  shillings  a  week  at  the 
Worthing  Theatre.  He  afterward  became  prompter, 
which  capacity  he  filled  until  October.  Harley,  the 
comedian,  was  a  member  of  the  company.  Mr.  Booth 
finally  succeeded  in  securing  an  engagement  at  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  and  was  announced  for  Silvius  in 
"  As  You  Like  It,"  instead  of  Richard,  as  he  had  been 
led  to  expect.  His  friends  were  few,  though  sincere 
and  untiring  in  their  endeavors  to  have  him  placed  in 
his  true  light,  and  were  indignant  that  managers  should 
neglect  with  such  determination  one  who  had  given  so 
much  promise  of  greatness.  He  continued  acting  at 
that  house  during  the  season,  occasionally  playing  sub- 
ordinate characters,  and  receiving  a  salary  of  two  pounds 
per  week.  The  most  important  part  assigned  him  was 
Henry  in  the  "  Maid  and  the  Magpie."  It  was  fre- 
quently related  at  this  period  of  his  career,  to  the  dis- 
credit of  Miss  Sally  Booth,  that  she  was  painfully 
concerned  lest  Mr.  Booth  should  be  mistaken  for  a 
relative  of  hers,  and  modestly  suggested  that  he  should 
add  a  final  "  e  "  to  his  name. 

Pained  by  the  contemptuous  coldness  of  those  who 
surrounded  him,  and  perceiving  that  no  advancement 
awaited  him,  he  again  joined  Mr.  Trotter  of  the  Wor- 
thing and  Brighton  Theatres.  He  filled  the  position 
of  acting  manager  for  two  guineas  a  week  and  a  ben- 


I2  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

efit;  but  feeling  his  position  intolerable,  he  left  the 
theatre  in  a  despairing  mood.  He  had  previously 
been  cast  for  Harlequin,  but  was  prevented  from  play- 
ing it  by  an  accident  which  he  met  with  at  rehearsal. 
He  had  frequently  personated  Fitzharding  in  the  com- 
edy of  "  Smiles  and  Tears,"  and  had  rendered  himself 
a  great  favorite  in  the  part.  After  a  brief  visit  to 
Windsor,  Mr.  Booth  once  more  returned  to  Worthing, 
where  he  was  immediately  re-engaged  by  his  former 
manager. 

He  appeared  subsequently  at  the  Brighton  Theatre, 
when  Edmund  Kean,  who  was  announced  for  the  part 
of  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  failed  to  arrive,  and  Mr.  Booth 
was  asked  to  assume  the  character.  The  audience 
was  small,  and  evinced  much  disapprobation  on  the 
entrance  of  the  substitute  ;  but  he  had  not  spoken  many 
lines  ere  their  attention  became  riveted,  and  before 
the  close  of  the  play  he  was  warmly  greeted  and  re- 
ceived every  mark  of  their  satisfaction.  Murmurs  of 
his  "presumption"  and  "youthful  ambition"  died 
away  altogether,  and  he  was  hailed  by  acclamations 
of  delighted  surprise. 

Mr.  Booth  played  Bertram  at  Worthing  with  in- 
creased honors  the  warmth  of  his  reception  overpow- 
ered him,  so  suddenly  had  the  tide  turned  in  his  favor. 
His  Richard  III.  was  acknowledged  as  a  great  per- 
formance, and  at  last  the  public  discerned  that  the 
young  actor  had  genius  and  determination. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Chambers,  Lord 
Erskine,  Garrow,  Dr.  Williams,  and  others,  Mr.  Harris 
was  induced  to  give  Mr.  Booth  a  trial-night  at  Covent 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  j^ 

Garden  Theatre,  and  in  a  more  important  character 
than  he  had  yet  attempted  there.  The  letter  bearing 
this  news  passed  Mr.  Booth  on  his  way  to  London, 
and  much  to  his  astonishment  he  found  himself  on  his 
arrival  announced  to  perform  Richard  III.,  after  hav- 
ing written  fruitlessly  to  every  metropolitan  manager  for 
an  engagement.  On  Feb.  12,  1817,  he  appeared  as 
Richard  at  this  theatre,  and  earned  the  warmest  appro- 
bation and  applause. 

A  number  of  newspaper  criticisms  of  this  perform- 
ance are  here  appended. 

"  Mr.  Booth  repeated  his  performance  of  Richard 
last  night  with  increased  success,  and  amidst  the  rap- 
turous plaudits  of  the  audience.  To  all  the  principal 
scenes  he  gave  most  forcible  and  masterly  effect,  and 
may  be  said  to  have  already  established  himself  at  the 
height  of  his  profession.  On  '  Guy  Mannering '  being 
given  out  for  this  evening,  there  was  a  general  call  for 
*  Richard  '  again,  on  which  Mr.  Abbott  announced  that 
the  managers  intended  '  Richard  the  Third  '  for  per- 
formance again  on  Monday  night.  The  house  then 
rang  with  plaudits  in  anticipation  of  the  further  delight 
to  be  afforded  by  so  exquisite  a  performance.  Among 
the  personages  of  distinction  present,  we  noticed  their 
Royal  Highnesses  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Gloucester, 
who  appeared  highly  delighted  with  the  fine  acting  of 
Mr.  Booth."  —  Feb.  14,  1817. 

"  The  gentleman  whom  the  managers  have  cleverly 
procured  to  be  a  Richard  the  Third,  at  Covent  Garden, 
is  surely  one  of  nature's  duplicates ;  —  if  he  be  not  Mr. 
Kean  himself,  he  is  as  ingenious  a  fac-simile  as  we  ever 


!4  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

beheld.  We  never  saw  a  better  imitation.  Mr.  Booth 
(so  the  gentleman  is  named)  has  all  Mr.  Kean's  tem- 
pestuous action  in  his  passionate  scenes,  and  all  and 
more  of  his  familiarity  in  calm  ones ;  he  has  the  eyes, 
face,  and  walk  of  Kean,  —  the  same  stamp  of  the  foot, 
the  same  voice,  except  in  its  vehement  tones,  which, 
instead  of  being  broken,  hoarse,  and  fatiguing,  are 
deep,  loud,  and  coarse.  Mr.  Kean's  tones  in  the  last 
scenes  of  '  Richard '  are  indeed,  as  a  friend  once  ob- 
served, like  a  hackney  coachman's  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning ;  Mr.  Booth's  are  of  the  same  kind,  but 
not  in  so  ripened  a  state.  When  we  entered  the  box 
at  Covent  Garden,  the  other  evening,  and  heard  Mr. 
Booth  in  the  scene  with  Lady  Anne,  we  really  were 
doubtful  whether  we  had  not  mistaken  the  house,  and 
wandered  into  Drury  Lane.  He  leant  against  the  side- 
pillar,  as  Lady  Anne  advanced,  in  the  very  attitude 
that  Mr.  Kean  adopts ;  and  all  his  tones,  looks,  and 
movements  were  Drury  Lane  property.  He  dressed 
the  part  as  Mr.  Kean  dresses  it,  and  made  due  pauses, 
starts,  and  stares,  as  that  actor  makes  them.  Now  we 
honestly  confess,  that  never  since  we  wielded  the  criti- 
cal pen,  have  we  at  any  time  found  ourselves  so  puzzled 
in  our  opinions  of  an  actor  as  in  the  case  before  us. 
The  two  houses  have  long  been  running  a  race  of  simi- 
larities, and  now,  indeed,  they  are  neck  and  neck.  The 
two  Maids  and  the  two  Magpies  were  not  more  alike 
than  the  two  Richards.  If  Mr.  Booth  has  made  Mr. 
Kean's  acting  a  study,  and  has  merely  given  us  an  imi- 
tation of  what  is  in  itself  but  an  imitation,  then  we 
utterly  give  him  up,  and  consider  him  no  better  than 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  l$ 

the  shadow  of  a  shade.  But  if  nature  has,  by  way  of  a 
joke,  made  two  bodies  alike,  and  given  them  similar 
conceptions  and  sounds,  then  Mr.  Booth  must  not  be 
rudely  cast  aside,  because  his  better  half  happened  to 
be  seen  first.  It  might  have  been  Mr.  Kean's  fate  to 
have  been  styled  an  imitator.  There  is  one  thing, 
however,  that  we  shrewdly  suspect,  which  is,  that  nature 
has  put  both  souls  into  one  body :  we  will  not,  in  the 
present  stage  of  the  enquiry,  declare  which  we  think 
the  unfurnished  one.  Mr.  Booth  had  great  difficulties 
to  struggle  against  on  his  first  appearance.  The  image 
of  Richard  has  been  stamped  by  one  hand  on  the 
minds  of  all  parties.  Any  copy  would  be  immediately 
detected,  any  deviation  be  instantaneously  perceived 
and  opposed.  .  .  .  Every  personator  of  Richard  must 
fight  like  a  madman,  and  fence  on  the  ground,  and 
when  disarmed  and  wounded,  thrust  with  savage  im- 
potence with  his  naked  hand, 

'  And  sink  outwearied,  rather  than  o'ercome.' 

Mr.  Kean  has  passed  this  manner  into  a  law,  and  woe 
be  to  him  who  breaks  it.  No  one  but  Mr.  Kemble 
can  be  allowed  to  parry  like  a  schoolboy,  and  drop 
like  a  gentleman.  Mr.  Booth  was  sure  of  the  disap- 
probation of  a  certain  set  of  these  would-be  judges, 
who  would  hiss  him  for  misunderstanding  his  part  if 
he  did  not  follow  Kean,  and  who  would  hiss  him  like- 
wise for  copying  if  he  did. 

1  To  both  their  hates  must  he  be  accessary.' 

As  we  felt  so  puzzled  in  our  opinion  of  Mr.  Booth's 
merits,  we  made  a  point  of  seeing  Richard  again  rep- 


!6  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

resented  by  him.  On  the  second  night  he  played 
much  better,  though  still  he  was  Kean,  and  a  full  au- 
dience earnestly  cheered  him.  This  strange  similarity 
between  the  two  tragedians  is  a  great  misfortune  to 
them. 

'  For  both  or  one  of  them,  the  time  is  come.' 

If  they  be  of  equal  merits,  —  though  this  we  do  not  at 
all  believe,  —  the  public  will  hate  them  both,  for  it 
hates  equality. 

'  Two  at  a  time,  there 's  no  mortal  can  bear,' 

so  said  Macbeth ;  and  a  profound  reasoner  on  human 
actions  in  the  '  Comedy  of  Errors,'  — 

'  One  of  these  men  is  genius  to  the  other.1 

We  shall  perhaps  hear  Mr.  Booth  applying  the  last  two 
lines  of  the  same  play  :  — 

'  \Ve  came  into  the  world  like  brother  and  brother, 
And  now  let 's  go  hand  in  hand,  not  one  before  another.' " 

Champion,  Feb.  16,  1817. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  present  week  the  managers 
have  performed  their  full  duty  in  endeavoring  by  their 
novelties  to  dispel  the  dulness  of  the  season,  and  to 
withdraw  us,  by  splendors  within,  from  the  fogs,  damps, 
and  darkness  without.  In  no  country  in  the  world,  we 
believe,  is  the  drama,  both  as  respects  actors  and 
writers,  at  a  nearer  approach  to  perfection  than  in  Eng- 
land. The  German  stage  is  intolerable.  And  if  the 
French  exceed  us  in  levity,  that  levity  is  founded  on 
passions  and  feelings  which  we  hope  will  never  have 
place  amongst  ourselves.  It  is  to  the  praise  of  an 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  lj 

English  audience,  that  they  command  decency  and 
morality  in  their  dramatic  writers,  and  that  even  in  their 
lighter  moments  they  never  forget  their  higher  inter- 
ests, and  the  important  duties  of  decorum,  faith,  and 
modesty.  .  .  .  But  he  must  be  a  bold  man  who  could 
venture  to  enter  the  lists  with  Kean,  in  a  part  like  this, 
and  who  could  expect  anything  from  an  audience  hav- 
ing Kean  before  their  eyes,  but  a  bare  indulgence  and 
pardon.  .  .  .  Mr.  Booth  did  not  disappoint  the  ex- 
pectation of  his  friends,  and  appears  to  have  much 
exceeded  the  hopes  of  the  audience.  He  was  vigor- 
ous, spirited,  and  intelligent.  His  figure  is  small,  — 
smaller  even  than  Kean's  ;  his  voice  in  its  natural  tones 
melodious,  but  husky  and  rough  when  overstrained ; 
his  countenance  is  manly,  and  full  of  expression ;  and 
as  respects  mere  looks,  his  face  and  profile  certainly 
exceed  those  of  Kean."  —  Betfs  Weekly  Messenger \ 
Feb.  1 6,  1817. 

These  carefully  written  critiques,  as  well  as  those  of 
later  date,  show  how  vivid  an  impression  the  young 
aspirant  created,  although  coming  as  he  did  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  established  and  elder  favorite,  Kean. 

Booth's  friends,  while  rejoicing  in  his  success,  per- 
suaded him  to  defer  further  repetition  of  his  perform- 
ance in  consequence  of  the  great  excitement  and 
fatigue  which  he  had  undergone.  As  no  definite  en- 
gagement had  been  effected,  he  was  advised  to  demand 
suitable  terms ;  but  Mr.  Harris  reminded  him  of  the 
salary  he  received  during  the  preceding  season,  namely, 
two  pounds  a  week,  and  proposed  to  pay  him  five 
instead.  This  offer  being  declined,  a  controversy 


IS  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

arose,  which  Mr.  Booth  ended  by  desiring  to  have  his 
name  taken  from  the  bills.  Mr.  Edmund  Kean  of  the 
rival  theatre,  hearing  of  this  misunderstanding,  imme- 
diately drove  in  his  chariot  to  visit  Mr.  Booth,  over- 
whelmed him  with  congratulations,  and  told  him  to 
"jump  in ;  he  had  got  an  engagement  for  him." 

They  drove  at  once  to  the  Committee  Room  of  the 
Drury  Lane  Theatre,  where  Lord  Essex,  Mr.  Wilson, 
and  Mr.  Lamb  were  assembled ;  a  paper  was  drawn  up 
which  Mr.  Booth  was  hurriedly  induced  to  sign,  not 
being  allowed  time  for  quiet  reflection  or  the  advice  of 
others.  These  gentlemen  in  their  friendly  conversa- 
tion dwelt  on  the  unjust  reception  of  his  proposal  by 
Mr.  Harris,  assuring  him  that  he  would  have  no  diffi- 
culty whatever,  as  his  name  was  already  omitted  in  his 
bills.  Mr.  Booth  considered  himself  entirely  released 
from  the  Covent  Garden  Theatre  and  duly  engaged  at 
Drury  Lane.  Mr.  Harris,  being  apprised  of  this  strat- 
agem, hastened  to  the  rival  house,  and  expostulated 
with  these  gentlemen,  but  in  vain,  as  they  considered 
Mr.  Booth's  engagement  at  Drury  Lane  irrevocable. 
The  following  newspaper  extracts  are  interesting  here, 
and  explain  the  position  of  affairs. 

"  The  tragedy  of  '  Richard  the  Third,'  in  which  Mr. 
Booth  was  to  perform  the  principal  character  for  the 
third  time,  was  on  Thursday  night  announced  for  yes- 
terday evening  [at  Covent  Garden].  Instead  of  this, 
however,  the  play  of  '  Pizarro '  was  advertised  in  the 
bills  of  the  day,  without  any  mention  whatever  being 
made  of  Mr.  Booth.  The  audience  therefore,  somewhat 
disappointed  at  not  finding  '  Richard  himself  again,' 


THE  ELDER  BOOTff.  jg 

called  for  an  explanation,  on  which  Mr.  Fawcett  came 
forward  and  addressed  them  as  follows  :  — 

" '  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — As  far  as  I  am  able,  I  will 
state  to  you  the  reason  why  the  play  was  changed  and 
Mr.  Booth  did  not  appear  in  the  character  of  Richard 
this  evening.  From  the  conversation  that  gentleman 
last  had  with  the  proprietors  it  appears  to  have  been 
his  own  fault.  I  was  not  present  at  the  conversation, 
but  the  particulars  of  it  have  been  detailed  to  me.  Mr. 
Booth  appeared  particularly  anxious  that  before  he  again 
played  the  character  of  Richard  on  Monday  evening 
his  salary  should  be  fixed.  Mr.  Harris  told  him  that  in 
the  present  state  of  the  business  he  considered  that 
mode  would  be  neither  for  Mr.  Booth's  advantage  nor 
the  interest  of  the  theatre,  but  that  his  salary  should  be 
settled  from  the  moment  of  his  first  performance  on 
these  boards,  subject  to  subsequent  arrangement  that 
might  depend  on  his  success  and  the  advantage  he 
might  be  to  the  theatre.  I  beg  leave  to  call  to  your 
recollection,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  the  charge  of 
parsimony  has  never  been  made  against  the  managers 
of  this  theatre,  but  the  crimination  has  always  been  on 
the  other  side.  A  variety  of  instances  of  great  salaries 
given  to  excellent  actors  and  actresses  may  be  adduced 
to  illustrate  the  liberality  of  the  proprietors ;  and  in  the 
cases  of  the  lamented  Mr.  Cooke  and  our  great  favorite 
Miss  O'Neill  the  point  is  conclusive.  That  lady  and  gen- 
tleman were  engaged  to  perform  at  this  theatre  on  very 
humble  salaries,  and  that  on  articles  which  would  have 
continued  for  three  or  five  years  ;  but  no  sooner  were 
their  abilities  appreciated,  and  they  drew  money  to  the 


20  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

treasury  of  this  theatre,  than  their  articles  were  instantly 
torn,  and  liberal  remuneration,  commensurate  with  their 
talents,  awarded  them.  I  am  sadly  afraid  that  Mr. 
Booth  has  been  ill-advised  in  this  business,  and  that  he 
demanded  in  the  first  instance  such  a  salary  as  future 
efforts  would  no  doubt  have  entitled  him  to.'  (Here 
loud  cries  of '  You  Ve  driven  him  to  Drury  Lane,  to  the 
country  again.')  Mr.  Fawcett  resumed  :  Nothing  could 
be  further  from  his  wish  than  that  Mr.  Booth  should 
return  to  the  country ;  he  should  be  happy  to  see  him 
on  these  boards  again  ;  he  hoped  the  door  of  reconcil- 
iation was  still  open,  and  that  all  would  be  amicably 
arranged."  —  London  Morning  Post,  Feb.  18,  1817. 

"The  circumstance  of  Mr.  Booth's  engagement  at 
this  theatre  [Drury  Lane]  seems  to  have  excited  an 
universal  sensation  in  the  public  mind,  if  we  are  to  judge 
from  the  extremely  crowded  and  brilliant  assemblage 
which  was  collected  last  night  to  witness  his  lago.  His 
imputed  similarity  in  voice,  in  figure,  and  in  counte- 
nance to  Mr.  Kean,  aided  by  his  own  intrinsic  genius, 
has  already  obtained  for  him  a  very  distinguished  at- 
tention ;  but  that  attention  was  heightened  to  a  degree 
of  intenseness  seldom  experienced  before  in  a  British 
theatre,  when  both  the  image  and  the  substance  were 
placed  side  by  side,  and  an  opportunity  was  offered  to 
compare  instantaneously  their  every  word,  look,  and 
action.  It  is  at  such  a  moment  that  their  relative 
merits  can  alone  be  ascertained  with  correctness ;  and 
it  appeared  to  us  that  the  resemblance  so  much  cele- 
brated was  by  no  means  uniform  or  intentional.  Nature 
has  undoubtedly  cast  both  Mr.  Kean  and  Mr.  Booth  in 


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THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  2l 

a  mould  nearly  the  same,  but  it  is  certain  that  she  has 
infused  a  much  greater  portion  of  the  divine  fire  through 
the  composition  of  one  than  through  that  of  the  other. 
The  theatre  was  filled  in  every  quarter  at  an  early  hour ; 
we  believe  that  if  it  were  twice  as  large  it  would  have 
been  crowded  on  this  occasion.  The  moment  Mr. 
Booth  entered  he  was  saluted  by  a  general  and  most 
ardent  cheering ;  he  appeared  completely  master  of  his 
feelings  ;  when  he  came  to  that  passage  in  which  lago 
says,  '  I  know  my  price,'  the  pit  immediately  seized  the 
allusion  and  testified  their  sense  of  the  treatment  which 
he  received  from  the  proprietors  of  the  rival  house. 
His  conception  of  the  character  was  throughout  per- 
fectly correct,  and  there  was  no  part  of  it  which  he 
did  not  delineate  with  the  power  and  spirit  of  a  master. 
The  lines,  '  He  who  steals  my  purse,'  he  delivered  with 
much  emphasis  and  propriety,  but  the  scene  in  which 
he  excelled,  and  in  which  perhaps  he  cannot  be  rivalled 
by  any  other  person  than  Kean  himself,  was  that  scene 
where,  while  he  tells  Othello  to  beware  of  jealousy,  he  is 
anxiously  distilling  into  his  mind  every  essence  of  which 
that  torturing  feeling  is  composed.  .  .  .  Towards  the 
conclusion  the  business  of  lago  gradually  decreases,  his 
schemes  all  succeed,  his  .revenge  is  satiated,  and  the 
opportunities  of  display  become  proportionally  lessened. 
Mr.  Booth  seemed  conscious  of  this,  and  he  wisely 
avoided  bestowing  any  importance  upon  that  which  of 
itself  deserved  none.  His  departure  from  the  scene  he 
marked  in  a  novel  and  rather  a  hazardous  manner.  He 
looked  at  Othello  with  a  significant  gaze,  then  pointed 
to  his  own  wife,  as  if  to  express  that  her  violation  by  the 


22  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

Moor  was  the  cause  of  all  his  perfidy.  He  then  struck 
his  breast  in  a  triumphant  manner,  meaning  that  his 
vindication  was  complete  and  gratifying.  If  this  pan- 
tomime had  been  abbreviated,  we  are  sure  it  would  be 
more  consistent  with  the  dignity  of  tragedy,  and  would 
have  reflected  a  higher  lustre  on  the  judgment  of  the 
actor.  .  .  .  When  he  (Mr.  Kean)  first  entered,  he  took 
Mr.  Booth  by  the  hand.  An  action  so  generous  and  so 
amiable  could  not  have  escaped  the  observation  of  the 
audience.  From  that  moment  they  took  every  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  their  admiration  of  his  unrivalled 
genius ;  and  surely  never  was  their  applause  more  richly 
merited.  .  .  .  The  piece  was  given  out  for  repetition 
on  Saturday  night,  amidst  the  unanimous  acclamations 
of  the  audience.  Several  of  the  Nobility  were  present, 
and  a  few  ladies  who  seemed  just  to  have  left  the 
Queen's  drawing-room  were  conspicuous  in  the  stage 
boxes."  —  Morning  Post. 

An  English  theatrical  work  of  1825,  referring  to  this 
production  of  "  Othello,"  says  :  — 

"  Booth's  entree  at  the  very  opening  of  the  scene  was 
hailed  with  the  most  flattering  plaudits,  and  by  a  house 
crowded  to  suffocation.  When  Kean  and  Booth  en- 
tered together  the  applause  was  electrical.  The  cir- 
cumstance itself  is  only  paralleled  by  the  conjunction  of 
Garrick  and  Quin ;  and  our  modern  performers  looked 
at  one  another  and  then  at  their  auditors,  as  if  uncer- 
tain what  to  do.  At  length,  after  Kean  had  bowed  at 
least  half  a  dozen  times,  they  stood  closely  together  and 
indicated  their  gratitude  by  both  bowing  very  respect- 
fully to  the  whole  house.  Kean  on  this  occasion  outdid 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  23 

all  his  former  outdoings  ;  and  though  logo  is  not  a  part 
for  applause,  Booth  elicited  it  in  every  scene." 

Mr.  Kean,  the  acknowledged  king  of  tragedy,  did 
not  intend  to  allow  a  continuation  of  this  rivalship. 
He  had  previously  seen  the  power  of  his  adversary, 
and  merely  proffered  him  a  taste  of  adulation  and  suc- 
cess before  attempting  his  downfall.  It  is  needless  to 
explain  that  in  the  signing  of  that  fatal  memorandum 
Mr.  Kean  had  a  covert  design.  He  knew  the  contents 
in  their  literal  and  technical  signification,  and  Mr. 
Booth  did  not. 

The  scheme  was  soon  developed,  as  Mr.  Booth  re- 
ceived information  that  he  would  not  be  allowed  to 
play  any  of  Mr.  Kean's  parts,  Richard,  Hamlet,  Ber- 
tram, Sir  Giles  Overreach,  etc.,  but  that  he  was  to 
perform  Richmond  on  Thursday  to  Mr.  Kean's  Rich- 
ard, which  was  in  direct  violation  of  his  engagement. 

In  the  publication  of  these  unfortunate  events  many 
gentlemen  who  were  spoken  of  as  Mr.  Booth's  friends 
proved  to  be  his  secret  enemies ;  their  conciliatory 
manner  might  have  been  deemed  politic  at  the  time, 
and  under  existing  circumstances  judicious,  but  it  is 
certain  that  their  machinations  were  adroitly  veiled, 
and  his  youth,  inexperience  and  gratitude  made  him 
an  easy  prey  in  the  hands  of  clever  men. 

Kean  himself,  Judas-like,  betrayed  with  a  show  of 
kindness,  although  the  mention  of  his  name  in  later 
years  elicited  from  Mr.  Booth  only  admiration  for  him 
as  an  actor ;  he  said,  "  Kean  was  an  untaught  genius  ; 
therefore  he  followed  Nature."  As  was  written  of  him- 
self in  after  years,  "  That  master  mind  of  Junius  Brutus 


24  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

Booth,  like  Homer,  learnt  of  Nature,  which  is  the  breath 
of  Genius." 

Oxberry's  "  Dramatic  Biography  "  thus  speaks  of  the 
quarrel  between  Kean  and  Booth  :  — 

"  Those  who  are  inclined  to  believe  that  Edmund 
Kean  did  all  this  from  feeling  toward  Mr.  Booth  are 
welcome  to  retain  their  opinions  ;  but  we  beg  leave  to 
differ.  That  Kean  wished  Booth  to  have  a  competent 
salary  we  believe ;  but  that  he  also  wished  and  intended 
to  crush  any  hope  of  rivalry  on  his  part  we  are  abso- 
lutely sure.  During  his  career  Mr.  Kean  has  never 
suffered  any  performer  to  have  a  chance  of  eclipsing 
him  in  public  favor ;  he  threw  up  Manuel  because  Rae 
was  so  excellent  in  De  Zefos,  —  he  would  not  perform 
in  the  '  Italians,'  because  he  feared  to  stand  .beside 
Miss  Kelley's  Page,  and  he  would  not  allow  David 
Fisher  to  play  Hamlet  for  his  own  benefit." 

Excitement  was  now  at  its  height,  and  placards  were 
teeming  with  admiration  of  the  Moor  and  his  Ancient, 
The  rival  players  were  the  principal  topic  of  conversa- 
tion, and  parties  were  known  as  the  Keanites  and  the 
Boothites. 

At  the  time  of  receiving  the  information  from  Drury 
Lane  that  he  was  no  longer  to  appear  in  equal  parts 
with  Kean,  he  was  also  notified  by  Mr.  Harris  that  his 
engagement  at  Covent  Garden  was  not  legally  ended. 
Suffering  from  bodily  weakness  and  long-continued 
worry  of  mind,  these  new  distresses  wrought  upon  his 
excitability  so  as  to  unnerve  him  for  further  struggle. 

He  was  induced  to  refuse  to  play  logo,  and  a  note 
was  despatched  to  Mr.  Rae  at  Drury  Lane  to  that 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  2$ 

effect.  This  was  at  three  o'clock,  —  in  full  time  for  a 
change  of  performance  or  a  placarded  apology  for  Mr. 
Booth's  non-appearance  in  the  evening. 

A  London  journal  says  :  — 

"A  great  disappointment  occurred  at  this  theatre 
[Drury  Lane]  on  Saturday  evening,  from  the  unex- 
pected absence  of  Mr.  Booth,  who  had  been  announced 
to  perform  the  part  of  lago  for  the  second  time.  The 
house  was  filled  at  an  early  hour,  and  after  consider- 
able delay  had  taken  place,  and  much  disapprobation 
expressed,  the  manager  came  forward,  and  read  the 
following  note  from  Mr.  Booth  :  — 

'• '  Mr.  Booth  presents  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Rae, 
and  begs  to  inform  him  that,  from  the  excessive  anxiety 
of  mind  he  has  experienced  during  the  past  week,  he 
finds  himself  so  extremely  unwell  that  he  shall  not  be 
able  to  perform  this  evening  (Saturday),  and  he  has 
gone  out  of  town  to  recruit  himself.' 

"  Under  these  circumstances  Mr.  Rae  informed  the 
audience  that  Mr.  Kean  had  kindly  consented  to  per- 
form lago,  and  that  he  (Mr.  Rae)  would  undertake  the 
part  of  Othello.  To  this  arrangement  considerable  op- 
position arose,  and  there  was  a  pretty  general  call  for 
Kean  in  Othello  instead  of  lago.  Amidst  the  confu- 
sion, the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Gloucester  entered  the 
house,  and  '  God  Save  the  King '  was  called  for,  and 
sung  with  great  effect,  and  amidst  the  warmest  demon- 
strations of  loyalty  from  all  parts  of  the  house.  The 
whole  audience  is  said  to  have  become  so  perfectly 
good-humored  that  in  the  confusion  Mr.  Kean  was  per- 
mitted to  follow  his  original  design  of  acting  lago  with- 
out further  opposition."  —  Feb.  24,  1817. 


26  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

The  following  "Circular "  explains  itself:  — 

"  THEATRE  ROYAL,  DRURY  LANE, 
Feb.  24,  1817. 

"  In  consequence  of  the  disappointment  the  public 
experienced  on  Saturday  night  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre, 
by  the  non-appearance  of  Mr.  Booth  in  the  character 
of  logo,  and  hand-bills  having  been  posted  yesterday 
(Sunday)  in  all  parts  of  the  town,  stating  that  Mr.  Booth 
had  entered  into  an  engagement  with  the  proprietors  of 
Covent  Garden  Theatre  for  three  years,  the  manager 
of  Drury  Lane  Theatre  thinks  it  due  from  him  to  the 
public  to  state  that  on  Monday  last,  the  i  yth  inst.,  Mr. 
Booth  signed  a  written  engagement  to  Drury  Lane 
Theatre  for  three  years,  on  terms  proposed  by  himself, 
having  previously  stated  that  he  had  no  engagement 
with  the  Covent  Garden  proprietors,  that  all  treaties 
with  that  theatre  were  at  an  end,  and  that  he  had  re- 
quested his  name  to  be  taken  out  of  their  bills,  which 
had  accordingly  been  done.  In  pursuance  of  which 
engagement,  he  performed  lago  on  Thursday  night,  and 
was  announced  to  repeat  the  character  on  the  22d, 
24th,  and  25th  inst." 

To  this  Mr.  Booth  replied  :  — 

GENTLEMEN,  —  In  an  unguarded  moment  I  quitted 
Covent  Garden  Theatre  (where  the  most  eligible  situa- 
tion for  the  exertion  of  my  professional  talents  was  open 
to  me),  to  go  over  to  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  where  I 
have  since  found  to  my  cost  that  every  character  which 
I  was  ever  desirous  or  capable  of  playing  was  already 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  27 

in  possession,  and  that  there  was  no  chance  of  my  ap- 
pearing in  the  same.  What  occasion  therefore  could 
you  have  for  me,  unless  to  crush  any  talent  that  I  may 
possess  in  its  infancy? 

I  have  seen  through  my  error,  and  have  therefore  re- 
newed the  negotiation  which  was  so  unfortunately  inter- 
rupted with  the  proprietors  of  the  Covent  Garden,  and 
have  just  signed  a  regular  article  with  them  for  three 
years.  Consequently  I  have  no  longer  the  power  of 
appearing  again  at  Drury  Lane,  and  you  will  have  the 
goodness  to  take  my  name  entirely  out  of  your  bills. 

I  have  heard,  gentlemen,  that  your  treasury  has  ben- 
efited considerably  from  my  appearance  on  Thursday 
last.  I  ask  no  pecuniary  recompense  for  it.  I  only 
request  that  you  will  not  seek  to  persecute  or  molest 
a  young  man  just  entering  into  life,  and  who  cannot 
afford  either  to  be  shelved  (according  to  the  theatrical 
phrase)  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  or  to  be  put  into  such 
characters  as  must  infallibly  mar  all  his  future  pros- 
pects. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen, 

Your  very  obedient  humble  servant, 

J.  B.  BOOTH. 

And  the  following  came  from  Covent  Garden  :  — 

"  In  reply  to  the  Circular  dated  '  Feb.  24th,  Drury 
Lane  Theatre,'  the  proprietors  of  Covent  Garden  The- 
atre feel  it  incumbent  on  them  to  state  to  the  public 
the  following  facts  :  — 

"  i  st.  That  Mr.  Booth  having  performed  two  nights 
at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  and  a  negotiation  going  on 


28  THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 

for  a  three-years  engagement,  the  Drury  Lane  Sub- 
committee, previous  to  their  opening  a  treaty  with 
Mr.  Booth,  were  bound,  by  long-established,  honorable 
agreement,  to  apply  to  the  Covent  Garden  proprietors, 
and  learn  from  them  if  such  negotiation  was  broken  off. 
But,  contrary  to  such  fair  and  open  communication, 
they,  in  the  absence  of  the  Covent  Garden  proprietors, 
sent  for  Mr.  Booth  to  the  Committee  Room,  where  he 
hastily  signed  a  memorandum  for  an  engagement, 
against  which  one  of  the  Covent  Garden  proprietors, 
on  his  coming  to  town  an  hour  afterwards,  openly  and 
vainly  remonstrated  with  the  sub-committee. 

"  2d.  That  under  such  circumstances  the  proprietors 
of  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  conceiving  they  had  a  law- 
ful claim  on  Mr.  Booth's  services,  were  about  to  take 
legal  measures  against  him,  when,  through  the  medium 
of  a  friend  of  Mr.  Booth,  who  saw  his  distress  of  mind 
in  consequence  of  the  perilous  situation  in  which  he 
had  rashly  and  unguardedly  placed  himself,  the  nego- 
tiation was  renewed,  and  finally  terminated  on  Satur- 
day, when  the  Covent  Garden  proprietors  would  with 
pleasure  have  permitted  Mr.  Booth  to  perform  for  that 
evening  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  but  he  was  literally  too 
ill  to  make  the  attempt. 

"  3d.  For  the  truth  of  the  above  statements,  and  for 
the  justice  of  their  case,  the  proprietors  of  the  Covent 
Garden  Theatre  are  ready  to  refer  to  any  tribunal  com- 
petent to  decide  on  theatrical  questions ;  but  whatever 
may  be  the  result  of  the  decision,  the  proprietors  of 
Covent  Garden  Theatre  entreat  that  Mr.  Booth  may  not 
be  made  the  victim  of  disputes  between  the  two  the- 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  2g 

atres ;  his  youth  and  inexperience  alone  having  placed 
him  in  a  dilemma  from  which  it  is  hoped  the  usual  can- 
dor and  liberality  of  Englishmen  will  still  rescue  him." 

A  disgraceful  riot  ensued,  and  however  vacillating 
and  inexplicable  Mr.  Booth's  conduct  appeared,  there 
were  many  who  attributed  it  to  waywardness  and  in- 
experience, and  were  willing  to  accept  him  at  either 
house,  not  cognizant  of  the  design  to  deprive  him  of 
position,  the  means  of  livelihood,  and  ultimately  to  ef- 
fect his  banishment  from  the  stage.  Considering  the 
network  of  difficulties  which  entangled  him,  surely  his 
offence  was  pardonable,  as  he  possessed  in  an  eminent 
degree  the  desire  to  redeem  his  faults ;  but  he  was  the 
victim  of  a  hired  mob  set  on -by  enemies,  and  his  apol- 
ogies and  explanations  were  received  without  credence 
or  attention. 

An  excited  audience  awaited  the  entrance  of  Mr. 
Booth  as  Richard  III.  on  the  evening  of  February  25, 
at  Covent  Garden ;  he  was  greeted  by  great  applause 
and  hisses,  and  for  a  time  the  tumult  was  deafening. 
He  bravely,  yet  modestly  withstood  the  displeasure 
evinced,  and  when  quiet  was  gradually  restored  the 
play  proceeded,  not  without  frequent  outbursts  of  min- 
gled signs  of  disapprobation  and  pleasure. 

The  following  is  from  the  Morning  Post,  Feb.  26, 
1817:  — 

"  The  singular  contest  between  the  two  winter  the- 
atres for  the  services  of  Mr.  Booth  has  occupied  so 
much  the  attention  of  the  town  that  it  is  quite  unnec- 
essary for  us  to  recapitulate  the  circumstances  under 


3Q  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

which  it  was  commenced.  ...  In  consequence  of  Mr. 
Booth  having  been  announced  for  Richard,  the  house 
[Covent  Garden]  was  last  night  crowded  to  an  over- 
flow in  a  few  minutes  after  the  doors  had  opened,  and 
long  before  the  rising  of  the  curtain  the  tumult  which 
even  at  that  early  hour  prevailed  strongly  reminded  us 
of  the  scenes  which  marked  the  first  opening  of  this 
theatre  when  we  were  nightly  deafened  by  the  shouts 
of  the  boisterous  O.  P.'s.  The  curtain  drew  up  about 
half  past  six,  and  Mr.  Booth  immediately  presented 
himself  to  the  audience  dressed  for  the  character  he 
was  announced  to  sustain.  His  appearance  was  highly 
prepossessing,  and  promised  for  a  moment,  from  the 
fervent  plaudits  which  were  heard,  to  gain  the  fervor  of 
the  house.  But  the  voice  of  partial  resentment  soon 
burst  forth  from  several  persons,  chiefly  in  the  pit,  and 
the  marks  of  kindness  which  he  received  from  the 
majority  of  the  audience  were  encountered  by  a  noise 
sufficient  to  frustrate  all  his  efforts ;  every  appeal  to 
their  humanity  to  be  allowed  a  hearing  if  only  for  a 
moment  was  in  vain.  Inflexibly  fixed  to  punish,  they 
would  not  allow  of  explanation  or  apology ;  his  sen- 
tence had  been  predetermined,  and  they  would  not 
listen  to  one  word  in  mitigation  of  the  stem  decree, 
though  in  all  parts  of  the  house  the  plaudits  were  very 
great,  accompanied  by  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs 
and  hats  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen.  After  some 
minutes  Mr.  Booth  bowed  repeatedly  to  the  audience, 
and  retired.  Mr.  Fawcett  now  came  forward,  but  the 
uproar  continued  as  before.  He  patiently  waited  for 
the  tumult  to  subside,  but  to  no  purpose.  All  the  usual 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  31 

means  for  procuring  silence  were  resorted  to,  but  with- 
out effect.  A  note  was  thrown  on  the  stage.  Mr. 
Fawcett  knelt  d6wn  by  the  lamps  to  read  it,  but  could 
not  make  it  out.  Another  was  thrown  to  him,  which 
he  read  and  bowed  as  if  assenting  to  something  which 
it  contained.  Many  more  scraps  of  paper  were  for- 
warded in  the  same  way.  Mr.  Fawcett  appealed  to 
the  house  on  the  impossibility  of  his  reading  and 
answering  so  many  communications.  The  noise  con- 
tinued, and  he  at  last  left  the  stage  without  having  suc- 
ceeded in  making  himself  heard.  It  was  attempted 
to  begin  the  play,  and  something  like  the  first  scene 
was  represented  in  pantomime.  The  second  opened  ; 
Richard  again  came  on,  and  the  storm  raged  with 
aggravated  fury,  the  applause  still  decidedly  predom- 
inating. The  hostile  party  were  more  virulent  than 
before,  and  he  could  find  no  opportunity  for  reciting 
the  soliloquy,  — 

'  Now  are  our  brows  crowned  with  victorious  wreaths, 
Our  stern  alarums  changed  to  merry  meetings. 
Grim-visaged  war  hath  smoothed  his  wrinkled  front.' 

He  again  attempted  to  address  the  audience,  but  being 
still  refused  a  hearing,  he  left  the  stage  amid  the  noise 
of  the  contending  parties.  He  soon  returned,  attended 
by  a  standard-bearer,  exhibiting  a  placard  with  the 
words,  '  Grant  silence  to  explain.' 

"  This,  however,  was  useless,  and  they  retired  from 
the  stage ;  the  play  proceeded  with  the  omission  of 
the  first  scene  of  '  Richard,'  and  was  regularly  gone 
through  with  in  dumb  show,  the  applause  still  decidedly 


32  77/5  ELDER  BOOTH. 

predominating.  Several  fights  took  place  in  the  pit,  of 
which  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain  the  object  or 
result.  In  the  scene  where  Richard  appears  with  the 
children,  a  new  effort  was  made  to  propitiate  the  non- 
contents.  A  person  suddenly  displayed  a  placard, 
inscribed  '  Mr.  Booth  wishes  to  apologize.'  Applause 
and  disapprobation  followed.  Mr.  Fawcett  came  on, 
and  led  Mr.  Booth  to  the  front.  The  latter  bowed 
with  all  humility,  and  implored  permission  to  speak. 
The  boon  was  not  granted ;  another  placard  was  ex- 
hibited, '  Can  Englishmen  condemn  unheard  ? '  This 
was  also  ineffectual,  and  again  it  was  attempted  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  play.  Mr.  Barrymore  brought  Mr.  Booth 
forward  to  address  the  house,  but  this  attempt  ended 
like  all  those  which  had  preceded  it.  The  tumult  lasted 
to  the  end  of  the  play,  of  which  not  one  word  had 
been  heard  from  beginning  to  end.  Mr.  Booth,  in 
many  parts,  under  the  multiplied  difficulties  with  which 
he  had  to  contend,  frequently  exerted  himself  in  a 
manner  that  afforded  the  highest  ideas  of  his  ability, 
and  made  it  impossible  not  to  regret  that  a  young  man 
of  such  great  merit  should  have  been  placed  in  such  a 
situation.  When  the  curtain  fell,  the  malcontents  put 
forth  repeated  shouts  and  groans ;  the  applause  pre- 
dominated, and  a  general  wave  of  handkerchiefs  and 
hats  took  place. 

"  Now  that  the  play  was  ended,  Mr.  Fawcett  again 
led  on  Mr.  Booth,  who  seemed  heart-broken  on  the 
occasion.  Silence  was  again  solicited,  but  without 
avail.  They  both  bowed  and  retired.  The  farce  was 
then  commenced.  A  person  in  the  boxes  attempted 


THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 


33 


to  address  the  house,  and  gave  much  offence  to  some 
who  were  near  him.  This  led  to  a  fight ;  one  person 
spoke  against  Mr.  Booth,  and  his  conduct  was  very 
generally  resented.  A  new  cry  was  raised  for  the  man- 
ager, who  after  some  time  was  permitted  to  speak  :  — 

" '  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  If  I  at  all  understand 
the  call  made  on  me,  it  is  because  an  individual  has 
broken  in  upon  the  decorum  of  the  theatre.' 

"  He  was  interrupted  by  persons  demanding  that  the 
orator  in  the  boxes  should  be  removed.  Mr.  Fawcett 
resumed  :  — 

"  '  I  have  been  desired  to  send  the  peace  officers  to 
remove  the  person  complained  of.  This,  in  such  a 
case,  while  I  am  manager  of  this  theatre,  is  what  I 
cannot  do.  If  the  person  has  offended,  it  is  in  your 
own  breasts  to  turn  him  out.' 

"  He  then  retired  amid  hisses  and  applause.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  farce,  '  Killing  no  Murder,'  Mr.  Faw- 
cett was  again  obliged  to  come  forward,  and,  in  an 
address,  explained  that  he  had  come  from  his  home, 
whither  he  had  retired,  to  answer  this  demand.  And 
as  he  apprehended  it  was  Mr.  Booth  they  wished  to 
see,  he  informed  them  that  that  gentleman  had  re- 
mained in  the  theatre  until  a  late  hour  hoping  the 
audience  would  hear  what  he  had  to  submit  to  them, 
as  he  flattered  himself  it  would  have  been  satisfactory 
to  every  one.  Disappointed  and  overwhelmed  with 
affliction  at  having  incurred  their  displeasure,  he  had 
gone  home  and  was  now  in  bed.  'Then  bring  him 
forward,'  some  voices  exclaimed.  That,  Mr.  Fawcett 
did  not  hesitate  to  say,  would  be  a  cruelty.  Harassed 


34 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


as  his  feelings  were,  to  call  him  from  his  bed  at  that 
late  hour  to  appear  before  them,  was  what  he  thought 
no  person  could  seriously  require.  As  far  as  respected 
himself,  he  (Mr.  F.)  felt  called  upon  to  explain  the 
conduct  of  the  proprietors.  The  question  between 
them  and  the  managers  of  the  other  theatre  was  now 
reduced  to  a  point  of  law.  That  decision,  he  trusted, 
the  public  would  be  content  to  wait  for,  and  by  it  the 
managers  must  abide.  Cries  were  raised  of  '  No  shelv- 
ing,' '  No  Wolves,'  '  Booth  forever,'  etc.,  etc.  And  the 
house  was  slowly  cleared,  and  did  not  entirely  close  till 
twelve  o'clock." 

It  having  become  generally  known  that  Mr.  Rae 
of  Drury  Lane  Theatre  was  present  in  the  stage  box 
of  Covent  Garden  on  the  night  of  the  riot,  his  appear- 
ance there  was  severely  commented  upon.  In  a  letter 
to  the  public,  he  acknowledges  his  presence,  but  dis- 
claims having  gone  there  to  assist  the  opposition  against 
Mr.  Booth.  He  says,  — 

"  I  went  there  officially,  by  the  acquiescence  and 
sanction  of  the  sub-committee,  for  the  purpose  (if  Mr. 
Booth  expressed  any  intention  of  returning  to  his  duty 
at  Drury  Lane,  which  was  not  totally  unexpected)  of 
expressing  their  sentiments  on  the  subject,  and  of  gen- 
erally explaining  their  motives  and  conduct,  in  answer 
to  any  attack  that  might  have  been  made  from  any 
quarter  of  the  theatre.  .  .  . 

"  Your  humble  servant, 

"J.  RAE. 
"  March  ad,  1817." 

The  manager  of  Covent  Garden,  in  a  politely  cutting 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


35 


letter,  replied  to  this  portion  of  Mr.  Rae's  communica- 
tion :  — 

"...  Mr.  Rae,  by  his  own  showing,  came  into  the 
boxes  with  an  intent  to  address  the  audience,  if  an 
opportunity  had  offered,  not  of  his  own  free-will,  but 
sent  by  the  sub-committee  of  Drury  Lane.  .  .  .  The 
town  must  surely  think  it  indecent,  and  highly  dis- 
respectful to  them,  for  one  theatre  to  send  persons  into 
the  other  to  interfere.  I  believe  no  such  commission 
would  ever  be  offered  to  me  by  the  proprietors  of 
Covent  Garden,  but  I  am  free  to  confess,  if  such 
should  be  attempted,  I  would  resist  the  mandate  at  all 
hazards ;  for  if  I  appeared  in  the  lower  boxes  of  Drury 
Lane  for  the  purpose  of  addressing  or  disturbing  the 
audience,  I  should  expect  what  I  should  be  convinced 
I  deserved,  —  to  be  turned  out  with  contempt. 
"  Your  very  humble  servant, 

"JOHN  FAWCETT." 

A  fierce  newspaper  war  raged,  many  written  apolo- 
gies appeared  with  Mr.  Booth's  name  surreptitiously 
used  in  order  to  allay  the  disturbance,  and  evidently 
to  protect  the  theatres  from  the  mob.  These  false 
prints,  with  that  cringing  style  which  he  would  never 
have  condescended  to  adopt,  served  only  to  increase 
the  intensity  of  his  distress  ;  for  both  physically  and  men- 
tally he  was  wearing  the  sharp  thorns  of  ambition,  yet, 

"  When  Fortune  means  to  men  most  good, 
She  looks  upon  them  with  a  threatening  eye." 

This  period  of  intense  theatrical  excitement  proved 


36  THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 

also  a  week  of  vital  importance  to  the  interests  of  the 
community  at  large,  as  it  witnessed  the  suspension  of 
the  Habeas  Corpus  Act. 

On  Monday,  24th  of  February,  1817,  the  sub-com- 
mittee of  Drury  Lane  Theatre  filed  a  bill  in  chancery 
against  Mr.  Junius  Booth  and  the  proprietors  of  Covent 
Garden  Theatre  for  an  injunction  to  restrain  Mr.  Booth 
from  acting  at  any  other  theatre  than  at  the  Theatre 
Royal,  Drury  Lane. 

On  Tuesday,  25th,  upon  the  humble  petition  of  the 
plaintiffs,  their  bill  was  dismissed  out  of  the  court  upon 
their  paying  the  whole  of  the  costs. 

On  Saturday,  ist  of  March,  Mr.  Booth  again  per- 
formed Richard  to  an  overflowing  house  at  Covent 
Garden.  His  entrance  awakened  the  most  rapturous 
cheering  mingled  with  hisses ;  wreaths  and  bouquets, 
and  boughs  of  laurel  fell  around  him,  which  elicited 
groans  and  hootings  from  his  enemies.  A  paper  was 
thrown  from  the  pit  containing  a  desire  for  him  to 
explain  and  apologize.  It  was  read  by  him  and  re- 
sponded to  immediately  :  — 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  I  have  endeavored  all  in 
my  power  to  atone  for  the  disappointment  to  which  I 
was  instrumental  in  another  place.  I  have  apologized 
for  my  conduct  on  that  occasion,  and  endeavored  to 
explain  the  circumstances  under  which  that  conduct 
was  influenced.  I  now  again  most  humbly  and  sin- 
cerely repeat  my  apology." 

The  play  then  continued,  frequently  interrupted  by 
shouts  and  hisses,  and  at  the  close  he  was  called  for 
by  general  acclamation.  Mr.  Fawcett  appeared,  and 


THE   ELDER  BOOTJI. 


37 


announced  a  repetition  of  the  performance  on  the 
following  Monday.  The  admiration  excited  by  Mr. 
Booth's  unquestioned  ability,  his  youthful  appearance, 
and  dignified  bearing,  tended  greatly  to  allay  the  storm 
of  opposition,  and  on  the  3d  and  6th  of  March  he 
repeated  Richard  to  overflowing  houses. 

The  London  Morning  Herald >  March  3,  1817, 
said, — 

"The  blockade  of  all  the  avenues  leading  to  the 
place  in  which  Mr.  Booth  was  to  appear  on  Saturday 
was  formed  at  an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon ;  and  the 
instant  the  doors  opened  the  theatre  was  filled  in  every 
part.  The  struggle  for  places  was  desperate  in  the 
extreme ;  several  persons  must  have  been  considerably 
hurt  in  the  contests  which  took  place,  and  hundreds, 
when  they  had  at  last  got  sight  of  the  door  which  they 
desired  to  enter,  were  requited  for  all  the  inconven- 
iences to  which  they  had  subjected  themselves  by  the 
intelligence  that  the  house  was  full  to  an  overflow. 
The  audience  were  no  sooner  assembled  than  the  cry 
of  *  Booth  forever '  resounded  from  all  parts  of  the  pit, 
the  occupants  of  which  stood  on  the  benches.  This 
was  answered  by  the  call  of  '  No  Booth,'  and  the  parties 
immediately  joined  issue  and  tried  if  strength  or  good- 
will would  gain  the  victory.  As  a  sort  of  overture  of 
clapping  and  hissing  was  performed,  a  person  in  the  pit 
raised  a  placard  bearing  the  words,  '  He  has  been  pun- 
ished enough,  let  us  forgive  him.'  The  females  in  the 
pit  were  but  few,  but  many  ladies  of  distinction  and 
fashionable  appearance  seemed  disposed  to  lend  their 
aid  in  favor  of  Mr.  Booth,  and  they  were  joined  by 


38  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

the  great  majority  of  the  audience.  Several  placards 
were  at  different  times  hoisted  with  inscriptions  :  '  The 
pit  forgives  him,'  '  No  persecution,'  '  We  pardon  him,' 
1  No  playing  in  London  for  three  years,'  '  Booth  has 
done  enough  to  appease  John  Bull,'  '  No  Booth,' 
'  Booth  forever,'  '  Turn  out  the  Wolves,'  '  Beware,  the 
artillery  of  Drury  Lane  is  in  Covent  Garden,'  '  No 
hirelings  from  Drury  Lane.'  These  riotous  exclama- 
tions and  placards  produced  a  tumult  inconceivably 
great.  But  it  was  not  all  noise.  The  aching  bones  of 
many  a  participator  in  the  riot  can  testify  that  there 
was  frequently  something  more  substantial ;  as  in  most 
cases,  so  in  this,  where 

4  Each  alike  with  passion  glows, 
Words  come  first  and  after  —  blows.' 

"  Mr.  Booth's  printed  address  had  been  posted  in 
the  theatre,  and  copies  distributed  through  the  pit  and 
gallery,  so  that  there  was  no  attempt  made  to  speak 
from  the  stage,  but  not  a  syllable  of  the  opening  scene 
of '  Richard  '  could  be  heard.  Oranges  and  peel  were 
thrown  on  the  stage,  and  as  Mr.  Booth  came  forward 
laurels  were  forwarded  to  the  proscenium.  He  bowed 
humbly,  and  in  gathering  himself  to  give  the  first  solilo- 
quy, the  rapid  transition  from  the  modest  actor  to  the 
exaltation  of  the  stern  tyrant,  that  strange  entering  into 
another's  individuality,  was  eminently  striking,  and 
gained  the  wildest  applause.  In  the  next  scene  Mr. 
Fawcett  attempted  to  address  the  audience,  but  silence 
was  as  far  off  as  ever ;  and  although  the  majority  were 
eager  to  hear  him,  the  riotous  minority  were  again  vie- 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


39 


torious,  and  the  manager  was  compelled  to  retire  un- 
heard. 

"  A  quarrel  broke  out  in  the  tipper  tier  of  boxes,  and 
some  offensive  persons  were  ejected.  Another  party 
of  Wolves,  as  they  were  designated,  forced  themselves 
into  the  already  crowded  space,  and  a  battle  royal  was 
the  result.  When  the  furious  disturbers  were  put  out, 
they  vented  their  wrath  by  thundering  at  the  doors  of 
the  boxes  with  their  sticks.  Later  in  the  evening  a 
paper  was  passed  to  Mr.  Booth  on  the  stage,  and  at 
length  he  was  allowed  to  speak,  but  was  almost  un- 
heard. There  was  no  abatement  of  the  tumult  during 
the  third  act  of  the  play,  and  at  the  close  of  the  tragedy 
Mr.  Booth  was  loudly  called  for ;  he  came  forward  with 
Mr.  Fawcett,  preceded  by  a  person  bearing  a  placard 
intended  to  express  the  feelings  of  Mr.  Booth.  '  I 
have  acted  wrong,  I  have  made  an  apology,  and  thrown 
myself  on  the  candor  of  Englishmen.'  This  aroused 
the  friends  of  Mr.  Booth  to  renewed  efforts  on  his  be- 
half; they  hailed  this  last  attempt  of  their  favorite  to 
conciliate  the  public  mind  with  vociferous  cheers,  and 
at  least  seven  eighths  of  the  audience  were  with  them. 
Handkerchiefs  waved  in  prodigious  numbers  from  every 
part  of  the  house,  but  the  noise  of  the  malcontents  was 
as  clamorous  as  ever.  Mr.  Booth  seemed  utterly  over- 
come by  the  efforts  he  had  made,  and  physically  ex- 
hausted he  left  the  stage,  having  received  this  last 
demonstration  of  good-will  in  a  prolonged  three  times 
three,  amid  the  virulent  howlings  of  the  opposition. 
Mr.  Fawcett  was  then  called  for,  and  interpreting  the 
call  for  the  usual  announcement  of  the  play  for  the 


40 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


succeeding  night,  he  merely  suggested  that  he  supposed 
such  was  the  request,  when  cries  of  '  Yes,  yes,'  — 
1  Booth,'  '  Richard ' —  responded.  Amid  shouts  of 
applause  and  hisses  the  fatiguing  experience  of  that 
evening  ended." 

So  great  a  likeness  between  Kean  and  Booth  was 
naturally  turned  to  account  by  the  detractors  of  the 
younger  actor.  In  stature  and  appearance  the  resem- 
blance was  striking ;  the  faces  of  both  were  pre-emi- 
nently handsome,  of  classical  regularity  and  possessing 
great  mobility  of  feature.  Their  temperament  was  sim- 
ilar, both  being  impulsive  and  energetic,  copying  na- 
ture with  rigid  truthfulness,  and  having  that  intensity 
of  feeling  by  which  the  actor  is  merged  in  the  character 
he  represents.  This  complete  abandonment  of  indi- 
viduality, the  surest  trait  of  innate  genius,  was  the 
distinguishing  peculiarity  of  each,  consequently  both 
naturally  adopted  the  same  style  of  acting,  founded 
on  that  of  Cooke,  yet  possessing  all  the  chaste  and 
classical  embodiments  of  the  Kemble  school.  This 
similarity  of  temperament  can  explain  that  unavoidable 
sameness  of  taste  and  production,  frequently  evinced 
by  poets,  painters,  and  actors,  more  clearly  than  any 
argument  which  can  be  used  to  disprove  the  charge  of 
imitation. 

Hazlitt,  after  acknowledging  that  Mr.  Booth  gave  the 
tent  scene  in  "  Richard  "  better  than  he  had  ever  seen  it 
rendered,  because  "  he  was  himself,  and  natural,"  adds  : 
"  Mr.  Booth  pleased  us  much  more  as  lago  than  as 
Richard.  He  was,  it  is  true,  well  supported  by  Mr. 
Kean  as  Othello,  but  he  also  supported  him  better  in 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  4I 

that  character  than  any  one  else  we  have  seen  play 
with  him.  The  two  rival  actors  hunt  very  well  in 
couples."  Again  he  notes :  "  Mr.  Booth  has  two 
voices,  —  he  is  of  the  chameleon  quality  —  capable  of 
reflecting  all  objects  that  come  in  contact  with  him." 
He  accuses  him  of  possessing  his  own  voice,  which 
he  confesses  "  wants  neither  strength  nor  musical  ex- 
pression, but  we  also  occasionally  caught  the  mellow 
tones  of  Macready  rising  out  of  the  thorough-bass  of 
Kean's  guttural  emphasis."  Sparingly  and  grudgingly 
does  this  critic  mete  out  his  crumbs  of  praise  to  him 
whom  he  called  "  Kean's  fell  opposite  " ;  and  again, 
with  a  timid  seriousness,  that  is  as  ludicrous  as  sarcas- 
tic, he  notices  his  existence  as  "  a  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Booth." 

Mr.  Booth  played  Richard  III.  and  Sir  Giles  Over- 
reach alternately,  until  March  i5th,  when  "  Cymbeline  " 
was  produced,  with  Booth  as  Posthumus,  Young  as 
lachimo,  and  Kemble  as  Polydpre.  The  following,  on 
his  rendition  of  Posthumus,  are  among  the  numerous 
flattering  criticisms  of  the  day  :  — 

"  On  Saturday  Mr.  Booth  assumed  a  new  character, 
—  that  of  Leonatus  Post/iumus  in  the  play  of  '  Cym- 
beline.' As  this  is  a  part  in  which  Mr.  Kean  has  not 
been  seen  on  the  London  stage,  considerable  curiosity 
was  excited  among  those  who  only  give  Mr.  Booth 
credit  for  successful  imitation,  and  the  theatre  was 
filled  at  an  early  hour  to  witness  what  was  considered 
by  them  his  first  great  attempt  on  his  own  account.  It 
was  not,  however,  with  such  a  feeling  that  we  repaired 
thither ;  we  have  been  satisfied  that  Mr.  Booth  had  real 


42  THK  ELDER  BOOTH. 

talent,  and  as  the  resemblance  between  these  two  act- 
ors was  never  proved  to  consist  in  a  close  copy  of  par- 
ticular passages,  a  general  imitation  of  style  was  as  easy 
to  be  transferred  to  Posthumus  as  to  any  other  char- 
acter. That  there  is  a  resemblance,  a  striking  resem- 
blance, cannot  be  denied ;  but  as  Nature  has  done 
much  towards  accomplishing  this,  we  cannot  see  that 
one  actor  in  his  style  ought  to  be  treated  with  scorn 
whilst  another  is  praised  to  the  skies.  The  stage  has 
its  fashions.  Success  governs  taste.  In  Posthumus 
Mr.  Booth  lost  none  of  the  reputation  he  had  already 
acquired.  Many  passages  he  gave  with  great  and  ap- 
propriate energy,  some  with  much  dignity,  and  several 
in  a  tone  of  sarcasm,  that  told  with  great  effect.  Among 
those  last  alluded  to  we  particularly  admired  the  fol- 
lowing reply  to  lachimo :  — 

" '  Your  Italy  contains  none  so  accomplished  a  cour- 
tier, to  convince  the  honor  of  my  mistress ;  if  in  the 
holding  or  loss  of  that,  you  term  her  frail,  I  do  nothing 
doubt  you  have  store  of  thieves  ;  notwithstanding,  I  fear 
not  my  ring.' 

"  In  the  scene  where  lachimo  convinces  him  of  the 
frailty  of  Imogen,  he  made  some  powerful  appeals  to 
feeling,  and  was  rewarded  with  thunders  of  applause  ; 
occasionally,  however,  there  was  a  coarseness  attend- 
ant on  his  vigor  which  it  should  be  his  study  to  dismiss. 
The  want  of  importance  we  complained  of  in  his  lago 
sometimes  attached  to  his  Posthumus.  This  was  par- 
ticularly felt  in  the  last  scene,  from  the  awkwardly  re- 
tired silence  he  thought  proper  to  take,  which  was  such 
as  completely  to  shelve  him  (if  we  may  be  allowed  the 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


43 


expression)  till  the  moment  when  he  discovered  him- 
self to  lachimo.  His  subsequent  exertions  were  not 
only  perfectly  satisfactory,  but  finely  effective  ;  and  he 
closed  his  performance  amidst  vociferous  applause." 

"  In  his  impassioned  scenes,  even  in  the  height  of 
grief,  of  rage,  of  jealousy,  and  despair,  he  never  over- 
steps the  bounds  of  nature.  Nothing  can  be  finer  than 
his  acting  those  scenes  of  torture  which  occur  in  the 
character  of  Posthumus ;  and  his  delivery  of  the  last 
speech  in  that  character  is  in  the  highest  degree  natural 
and  impressive ;  but  we  shall  be  more  struck  with  his 
merits  when  we  consider  the  common  defects  from 
which  he  is  exempt.  He  has  no  measured  cadences, 
no  unnatural  pauses,  no  affectation,  no  vulgarisms  of 
speech,  no  quaint  inflections,  which  even  the  best  act- 
ors are  so  apt  to  fall  into. 

"  His  emphasis  is  seldom  wrong ;  he  never  overacts 
his  part ;  his  representation  is  always  natural,  and  if  he 
be  sometimes  wanting  in  grace,  or  propriety  of  attitude, 
there  is  no  dry  stiffness  of  manner,  —  he  is  at  least  easy, 
and  it  is  only  wonderful  that  his  faults  should  be  so  tri- 
fling and  so  sure  of  amendment.  Indeed,  to  dwell  on 
such  blemishes  in  an  actor  of  one-and-twenty  would 
be  like  criticising  the  figure  of  a  passing  cloud ;  before 
we  can  trace  its  outline,  no  trace  of  it  remains." 

The  following  letter  is  from  the  pen  of  the  celebrated 
William  Godwin,  father-in-law  of  Shelley  and  author  of 
"  Caleb  Williams  "  :  — 

SKINNER  STREET,  Feb.  27,  1817. 

SIR,  —  I  witnessed  your  performance  of  Richard  and 
lago,  and  you  may  perhaps  not  be  displeased  with  re- 


44 


THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 


ceiving  hints  and  remarks  from  a  person  of  old  expe- 
rience in  matters  of  taste  and  literature.  With  your 
RicharJ  I  was  not  altogether  pleased.  You  got  through 
it  with  too  much  bustle,  activity,  and  energy,  and  were 
rewarded  with  almost  unexampled  applause ;  but  it  ap- 
peared to  me  a  representation  rather  of  promise  than 
of  that  full  conception  and  meditation  I  long  for  in  a 
performer. 

Your  lago  struck  me  very  differently,  —  I  mean  in 
the  third  act  of  the  play,  for  the  rest  was  not  excellent. 
1  have  seen  Garrick  and  most  of  the  performers  of  the 
last  age,  but  I  confess  that  on  that  evening  I  saw  some- 
thing new.  I  never  before  saw  a  scene  in  which  two 
male  performers  fairly  divided  the  crown,  and  so  com- 
pletely kept  up  the  ball  between  them,  as  to  produce 
all  the  best  effects  of  illusion.  Your  tones  of  insinua- 
tion, in  particular  when  you  infuse  the  poison  of  jeal- 
ousy into  Othello,  were  so  true  that,  by  my  faith,  I  felt 
"  this  tale  might  have  won  my  credit  too."  I  immedi- 
ately became  impressed  with  the  persuasion,  this  Booth 
will  make  a  real  actor !  I  set  down  these  things  be- 
cause, as  you  are  a  very  young  man,  they  may  be  of 
use  to  you.  But  I  should  not  have  troubled  you  with 
this  letter  were  it  not  for  the  particular  situation  in 
which  you  now  stand.  You  have  incurred  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  common  frequenters  of  the  theatre.  I 
know  not  how  the  contest  may  terminate,  but  I  write 
earnestly  to  recommend  to  you  not  to  be  cast  down  if 
the  event  be  unfavorable.  I  shall  be  the  loser  if  this 
brutal  outcry  drives  you  from  the  London  stage,  but 
you  will  not  be  the  loser.  The  whole  British  dominions 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


45 


will  be  before  you,  which  you  may  visit  with  undimin- 
ished  fame.  You  are  not  driven  from  us  for  any  defect 
in  your  profession.  The  shortness  of  your  career  will 
only  have  rendered  it  more  illustrious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
inhabitants  of  distant  parts.  You  will  be  what  in  your 
profession  is  technically  called  a  star ;  and  country- 
playing,  under  such  circumstances,  is,  I  believe,  more 
profitable  than  playing  in  London.  You  will  then  re- 
turn to  us,  after  a  year  or  two,  improved  in  your  pro- 
fession, and  unanimously  and  rapturously  welcomed, 
even  by  those  persons  who  are  now  most  eager  in  ex- 
ploding you.  I  am,  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  GODWIN. 

It  is  a  received  opinion,  but  an  erroneous  one,  that 
these  occurrences  banished  Mr.  Booth  from  the  London 
stage.  On  the  contrary,  he  successfully  pursued  his 
engagement  at  Covent  Garden,  and  afterward  played' 
frequently  at  other  city  theatres.  While  his  fault  was 
insignificant  in  itself,  it  was  of  moment  to  his  detractors, 
as  the  riots  materially  injured  him  in  a  professional 
view,  although  the  result  created  a  longing  for  a  wider 
field  of  action. 

Mr.  Booth  had  many  offers,  from  provincial  mana- 
gers, for  the  Passion  Week,  but  preferred  Woolwich, 
where  he  played  Richard  III.,  Bertram,  Othello,  and 
Sir  Giles  Overreach.  From  a  Woolwich  correspondent 
to  a  London  morning  paper,  the  following  is  taken  :  — 

"  Mr.  Booth  was  received  by  a  full  and  elegant  audi- 
tory. In  the  character  of  Sir  Giles  his  claims  to  emi- 


46  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

nence  were  not  only  not  equivocal,  but  fully  established. 
In  the  last  act  more  particularly  his  astonishingly  strik- 
ing display  of  the  variedly  agonized  and  frantic  feelings 
with  which  Sir  Giles  is  agitated  at  the  failure  of  his 
schemes,  came  home  to  the  feelings  of  all,  and  reit- 
erated plaudits  spoke  the  approbation  of  a  crowded 
theatre." 

On  the  3ist  of  March,  1817,  Mr.  Booth  performed 
Richard  III.  at  Woolwich  ;  on  the  3d  of  April,  Othello  ; 
and  on  Saturday,  the  igth  of  April,  he  played  Sir 
Edward  Mortimer  in  three  different  towns.  At  eleven 
A.  M.  he  played  at  Cirencester,  at  four  p.  M.  in  Glouces- 
ter, and  at  eight  o'clock  in  Cheltenham.  For  this  ardu- 
ous achievement  he  received  about  thirty  pounds.  This 
provincial  tour  ended  on  the  i3th  of  December. 

On  the  yth  of  April,  1818,  he  played  at  Stratford-on- 
Avon. 

This  lovely  little  town  —  so  admired  by  the  tourist, 
so  universally  sought  by  scholar,  poet,  and  divine  — 
has  ever  been  a  spot  of  peculiar  reverence  to  the  actor. 
With  more  than  ordinary  tenderness  he  esteems  the  priv- 
ilege of  standing  on  this  soil  as  a  portion  of  his  birth- 
right. The  air  to  him  is  filled  with  images  of  various 
plays,  more  weird  and  fantastic  than  visions  of  Wal- 
purgis  Night ;  his  mind  teems  with  well-known  pas- 
sages, while  quotations  apt  and  beautiful  fall  from  his 
tongue,  and  he  feels  what  a  glorious  honor  has  been 
bequeathed  his  particular  art,  not  alone  by  the  life- 
long devotion  of  one  immortal  mind,  but  also  by  the 
proud  assurance  that  Shakspere  was  an  actor  ! 

It  was  solely  for  the  peculiar  pleasure  of  performing 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


47 


in  this  place  of  rare  remembrances,  that  Mr.  Booth 
was  induced  (as,  doubtless,  others  have  similarly  been 
influenced)  to  personate  the  characters  of  Richard  and 
Shylock  in  the  little  theatre  at  Stratford.  To  a  mind 
so  peculiarly  attuned  to  melancholy  as  his,  how  im- 
pressive must  have  been  the  solemn  grandeur  of  that 
sacred  edifice  where  the  Immortal  Poet  lies  !  — 

We  enter  the  holy  of  holies  ; 

Pause  here, — 
For  this  is  the  high-priest  of  Nature, 

Shakspere ! 

We  cannot  define  the  full  feeling 
Our  innermost  spirit  revealing, 
And  baffling  all  art  of  concealing. 

Not  the  sanctity  power  has  left 

O'er  the  place,  — 
Dust  will  all  grandeur  despoil 

And  erase,  — 

But  the  creatures  his  pencil  has  wrought, 
And  the  wisdom  his  genius  has  taught, 
Will  live  while  the  mind  holds  a  thought. 

Man's  heart  was  the  book  Nature  gave 

To  her  son ; 
And  time  has  attested  the  work 

Nobly  done. 

Though  ages  have  passed  since  his  birth, 
Two  worlds  are  recounting  his  worth, 
And  hail  him  the  monarch  of  earth. 

Mr.  Booth  appeared  for  the  first  time  as  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer  in  the  play  of  "The  Iron  Chest,"  at  Covent 
Garden  Theatre ;  the  subjoined  criticism  records  the 
event,  under  date  of  i3th  April,  1817. 


48 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


"...  Relieved  from  the  necessity  of  making  a  com- 
parison, which  might  appear  invidious,  we  have  only  to 
remark  on  the  performance  of  Mr.  Booth,  without  at  all 
referring  to  the  exertions  of  his  rival,  at  the  other  house. 
These,  however,  are  so  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  town, 
as  completely  successful,  that  it  requires  no  common 
skill  in  the  actor  to  gain  a  moderate  portion  of  public 
favor.  But  the  genius  and  good  fortune  of  Mr.  Booth 
triumph  over  all  common  obstacles,  and  open  for  him 
an  easy  path  to  fame,  where  the  steep  ascent  would  de- 
ter others  from  the  attempt.  His  exertions  last  night 
as  Sir  Edward  added  largely  to  the  reputation  which 
he  had  previously  acquired ;  and  if  in  the  opinion  of 
some  they  proved  him  to  be  master  of  great  imitative 
powers,  they  satisfied  every  impartial  judge  that  he  was 
the  possessor  of  great  original  talent.  The  fierce  emo- 
tion, the  angry  suspicion,  the  terrible  remorse  of  the 
murderer,  who  aspires  to  rise  superior  to  guilt,  and 
claim  a  spotless  name,  were  depicted  generally  with 
great  felicity,  and  in  some  instances  with  an  awful  fidel- 
ity to  nature.  His  scene  with  Wilford,  in  which  he 
reveals  the  secret  of  his  shame,  was  particularly  effec- 
tive. The  energy,  resentment,  and  despair  which 
prompt  this  disclosure  were  finely  marked,  and  the 
stern  resolution  consequent  upon  it  was  portrayed  with 
the  hand  of  a  master.  At  the  close  of  the  play  his 
efforts  were  not  less  fortunate.  The  confusion  and 
horror  growing  out  of  the  fatal  discovery  which  results 
from  his  new  but  imperfect  crime  were  happily  blended 
with  the  remorse  and  agony  which  returning  love  for 
the  innocent  object  of  his  persecution  failed  not  to  in- 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


49 


spire.  He  happily  imagined  and  successfully  executed 
the  conflicting  emotions  which  riot  in  the  bosom  of  Sir 
Edward,  obtained  the  sympathy  and  commiseration  of 
the  audience,  and  retired  amidst  thunders  of  applause." 

In  July,  1818,  Mr.  Booth  made  his  first  appearance 
in  Glasgow  and  in  Edinburgh,  in  which  cities  he  played 
successful  engagements.  He  visited  nearly  all  the  prin- 
cipal provincial  towns,  and  reappeared  in  London  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  where 
he  repeatedly  performed  Richard  and  lago.  He  imi- 
tated the  attempt  of  a  foreign  actor  and  played  Shylock 
in  the  Jewish  dialect;  and  although  Mr.  Booth  was 
familiar  with  Hebre\y,  it  is  not  positively  known  now 
whether  he  spoke  occasionally  in  that  language  or  played 
his  part  in  Hebrew  throughout.  He  gave  this  perform- 
ance on  the  i  yth  of  September,  during  the  autumn  en- 
gagement at  Covent  Garden,  which  terminated  on  the 
4th  of  November,  1818.  After  acting  in  several  of  the 
English  towns  he  proceeded  to  Dublin,  where  he  played 
eight  nights  most  successfully,  notwithstanding  it  was 
the  Lenten  season.  His  share  of  the  receipts  amounted 
to  one  hundred  and  four  pounds.  He  visited,  on  his 
return,  Bridgenorth,  Newport,  Scarborough,  Beverly, 
York,  etc. ;  and  at  some  of  the  towns  included  in  this 
tour  the  receipt  of  one  pound  is  marked  for  the  per- 
formance of  Sir  Edward  Mortimer  and  Jerry  Sneak. 

The  Drury  Lane  and  Covent  Garden  theatres  for 
years  had  possessed  the  exclusive  privilege  of  producing 
Shaksperian  plays,  by  a  patent  conferred  upon  them 
by  the  crown.  The  minor  theatres,  although  conducted 
with  as  much  liberality  as  their  more  favored  rivals,  were 
obliged  to  confine  themselves  to  melodrama. 


jO  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

But  the  exclusive  monopoly  of  the  Immortal  Bard 
by  the  patent  theatres  was  often  disputed  by  the 
Transpontine  houses,  which  in  their  production  of 
Shakspere's  plays  resorted  to  the  introduction  of  melo- 
dramatic music,  and  sundry  alterations  and  curtailments, 
thereby  avoiding  the  strict  letter  of  the  law.  Mr.  Booth 
broke  through  the  established  rules  by  performing 
Richard  III.  at  the  Coburg  Theatre,  in  December, 
1819,  for  six  successive  nights,  and  Horatius  on  the 
following  seven. 

The  run  of  this  piece  was  interrupted  by  the  death 
of  the  Duke  of  Kent,  in  respect  to  whose  memory  the 
theatre  was  closed  on  Jan.  24,  1820.  Upon  its  re- 
opening Mr.  Booth  performed  Brutus  in  the  "  Fall  of 
Tarquin  "  for  five  consecutive  nights,  when  all  amuse- 
ments were  again  interrupted  by  the  death  of  George 
the  Third.  During  the  month  of  March  he  visited 
Aberdeen,  and  returned  to  London  to  resume  his  en- 
gagement at  the  Coburg,  which  theatre  opened  on 
Easter  Monday,  April  3d,  with  the  "  Crusaders  "  and 
a  pantomime.  On  the  6th,  Mr.  Harris,  of  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  negotiated  with  Mr.  Booth  to  play 
Lear  for  six  nights. 

The  tragedy  of  "  Lear  "  was  in  especial  requisition, 
having  long  been  removed  from  the  stage  by  royal 
command,  as  the  madness  of  Lear  was  similar  to  the 
disorder  of  the  late  king.  The  consent  of  Mr.  Glossop, 
the  Coburg  manager,  was  obtained,  and  "  Lear  "  was 
accordingly  produced  on  the  i3th  of  April,  1820,  with 
the  following  cast :  — 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  ijj 

Lear Mr.  Booth. 

Edgar Mr.  C.  Kemble. 

Edmund Mr.  W.  C.  Macready. 

Kent Mr.  John  Fawcett. 

Cordelia Miss  S.  Booth. 

"  Mr.  Booth's  Lear  proved  one  of  the  proudest  ef- 
forts of  his  genius.  His  execution  of  this  character  was 
transcendently  beautiful,  and  requires  no  ordinary  mind 
to  properly  conceive  it.  The  scene  in  which  he  is 
turned  out  to  bide  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm  is 
one  of  terrific  grandeur.  How  admirably  Booth  rep- 
resented the  scene,  no  one  who  ever  witnessed  him 
can  forget ;  and  his  recitation  of  the  following  passage, 
amidst  the  storm  and  darkness,  was  sublime  :  — 

"  '  Blow,  winds,  and  crack  your  cheeks  !  rage  !  blow  I 
You  cataracts  and  hurricanoes,  spott 
Till  you  have  drench'd  our  steeples ! 
You  sulph'rous  and  thought-executing  fires, 
Vaunt  couriers  to  oak-cleaving  thunderbolts, 
Singe  my  white  head.' " 

Lear  was  represented  three  nights  a  week  for  several 
successive  weeks.  In  consequence  of  the  injunction 
laid  against  the  minor  theatres,  prohibiting  them  from 
playing  the  tragedy  proper,  Mr.  Glossop  brought  out 
"  Lear  of  Private  Life,"  a  piece  constructed  on  "  Father 
and  Daughter,"  a  tale  by  Mrs.  Opie.  Mr.  Glossop 
effected  an  engagement  with  Mr.  Booth  to  play  Fitz- 
arden  in  this  piece  three  nights  a  week,  being  the  "  off 
nights "  of  his  engagement  at  Covent  Garden.  He 
played  the  part  fifty-three  times ;  and  for  his  benefit  on 
the  2gth  of  May,  1820,  "The  Medusa's  Wreck"  was 


ij  2  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

performed,  a  scene  from  "  Lear  in  Private  Life,"  and 
the  new  pantomime  of  "  Fortunio."  He  visited  Nor- 
wich, Rochester,  and  Maidstone,  playing  a  few  nights 
in  each  place ;  and  on  the  25th  of  July  he  opened  at 
Cheltenham,  where  he  acted  five  nights,  and  one  night 
at  Gloucester.  He  then  took  the  stage-coach  for  Lud- 
low.  His  memoranda  of  this  date  contain  the  following 
note  :  "  A  lady  alone  and  apparently  friendless  expired 
in  the  coach ;  the  scene  was  very  touching ;  we  carried 
her  for  six  miles ;  the  remembrance  sadly  affected  my 
acting  that  night,  for  the  suddenness  of  death  com- 
pletely unnerved  me.  Played  Octavian  and  Bertram 
badly." 

In  August  Edmund  Kean  personated  "a  round  of 
characters  "  previous  to  his  departure  for  America,  and 
Mr.  Booth  appeared  at  Drury  Lane  with  him,  enacting 
lago  to  his  Othello,  Edgar  to  his  Lear,  and  Pierre  to 
his  Jaffier.  In  October  Mr.  Booth  played  in  Reading, 
going  thence  to  Weymouth,  and  other  places,  reappear- 
ing at  Drury  Lane,  under  Elliston's  management,  on 
the  4th  of  November.  He  acted  Lear  several  times,  as 
well  as  Opeehancanough,  an  Indian  chief,  in  an  Ameri- 
can drama ;  and  went  through  a  range  of  characters 
successfully.  The  play  of  "Julius  Caesar"  was  also 
produced,  with  Booth  as  Cassius,  James  W.  Wallack 
as  Brutus,  and  John  Cooper  as  Marc  Antony,  —  all  of 
them  appearing  for  the  first  time  in  these  parts. 

This  engagement  closed  on  the  i3th  of  January, 
1821.  On  the  1 8th  of  this  month  he  married  Mary 
Anne  Holmes,  at  the  residence  of  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Chambers,  who  had  always  manifested  a  great  interest 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


53 


in  Mr.  Booth's  career,  and  who  presented  his  wife  on 
her  wedding-day  with  those  well-known  jewels  which 
afterwards  decorated  his  Richard's  crown. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  made  a  brief  visit  to  France, 
stopping  at  Calais  and  Boulogne,  and  on  their  return  to 
England  he  decided  to  visit  the  West  Indies  profes- 
sionally. They  sailed  from  Deal,  at  which  place  he 
purchased  a  piebald  pony  named  Peacock,  to  which  he 
had  become  much  attached,  and  who  in  after  years 
was  closely  identified  with  him  in  his  occupation  as  a 
farmer. 

The  vessel  was  obliged  to  stop  at  the  island  of  Ma- 
deira, and,  attracted  by  the  loveliness  of  the  scenery, 
he  was  induced  to  pass  a  portion  of  his  time  in  survey- 
ing its  beauties.  They  remained  for  several  weeks  at 
Madeira ;  and  as  horses  were  exceedingly  rare  on  the 
island  (oxen  and  mules  being  used  on  the  mountains 
to  carry  freight),  Peacock  created  great  excitement. 
Sums  of  money  were  offered  for  him,  but  Mr.  Booth 
declined  to  part  with  his  new  favorite.  In  ascending 
the  mountain  to  visit  a  Carmelite  convent,  Mrs.  Booth 
was  carried  in  a  palanquin  by  natives,  who  set  down 
their  burthen  at  the  sound  of  the  Angelus  bell.  Her 
surprise  was  great  at  observing  her  husband  cross  him- 
self and  pray  with  them.  At  the  convent  Mrs.  Booth 
did  not  understand  the  conversation  between  her  hus- 
band and  the  fathers,  it  being  in  Latin,  but  she  after- 
ward learned  that  he  was  invited  by  the  Prior  to  attend 
the  midnight  burial  of  a  Carmelite,  for  which  purpose 
he  ascended  the  mountain  again  and  alone. 

In  April  he  took  passage  for  himself,  wife,  and  pony 
in  the  schooner  "  Two  Brothers,"  for  America. 


54 


THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 


As  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  were  the  only  passengers  on 
the  vessel,  the  captain  resigned  his  cabin  for  their 
accommodation,  and  after  a  tedious  voyage  of  forty- 
four  days  they  landed  at  Norfolk,  Va. ,  on  the  3Oth  of 
June,  1821.  On  his  arrival,  Mr.  Booth  introduced 
himself  to  Mr.  Charles  Gilfert,  manager  of  the  Rich- 
mond Theatre,  and  an  engagement  was  immediately 
effected.  He  opened  on  the  6th  of  July  in  Richmond, 
Va.,  in  the  character  of  Richard  III. 

The  effect  of  a  long  sea-voyage  and  the  excitement 
of  playing  before  a  new  audience  rendered  him  some- 
what tame  during  the  first  acts,  but  his  fire  and  energy 
in  the  closing  scenes  delighted  the  manager  and  elec- 
trified the  house.  Notwithstanding  his  coming  thus 
unheralded  into  a  strange  country,  in  the  sultriest  season 
of  the  year,  and  appearing  with  all  the  disadvantages 
of  strange  surroundings,  he  won  the  most  eloquent 
praise  from  critics  and  audience. 

Of  his  Richard  III.  the  Richmond  Examiner 
said,  — 

"  Gentlemen  who  have  seen  Cooke  in  this  part  do 
not  hesitate  to  pronounce  Booth  superior  to  him,  and 
others  who  have  lately  seen  Kean  in  the  same  charac- 
ter aver  that  in  some  scenes  he  is  equal,  and  in  others, 
the  most  trying  of  the  play,  superior  to  that  celebrated 
actor." 

He  performed  four  nights,  and  proved  a  decided 
acquisition,  as  the  business  of  the  theatre  was  at  a  very 
low  ebb.  The  characters  he  personated  were  Richard, 
Lear,  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  and  Bertram.  Later  he 
entered  into  a  contract  with  Messrs.  Gilfert  and  Graham 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


55 


to  act  throughout  the  Union  for  a  specified  nightly 
sum. 

In  a  recent  publication  Manager  Ludlow  gives  the 
following  account  of  Mr.  Booth's  first  appearance  in 
Petersburg,  Va. :  — 

"  During  the  month  of  August,  1821,  one  of  the 
brightest '  stars '  in  the  Western  dramatic  horizon  pre- 
sented itself  in  the  person  of  Junius  Brutus  Booth,  — 
the  Booth,  —  who,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  arrived  at 
Norfolk,  Virginia,  in  a  vessel  from  the  island  of  Madeira. 
Why  he  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  time  and  in 
the  way  he  did,  unheralded  and  unknown,  I  have  never 
been  informed.  He  presented  himself  to  Mr.  Gilfert, 
the  Richmond  manager,  and  said  he  wished  to  perform 
in  that  city.  I  understood  he  had  no  letters  of  intro- 
duction, and  there  were  some  doubts  whether  he  was  the 
real  Booth  or  some  impudent  adventurer,  who,  having 
heard  that  Mr.  Booth  contemplated  visiting  America, 
took  this  peculiar  way  of  introducing  himself,  and,  if 
possible,  '  humbugging '  the  Yankees  before  the  real 
Booth  should  arrive.  The  Richmond  manager,  always 
ready  for  some  bold  and  unusual  adventure,  arranged 
with  Mr.  Booth  for  one  night,  and  a  conditional  exten- 
sion of  the  engagement.  Mr.  Booth  made  his  first 
appearance  in  the  United  States  there  and  at  that  time 
in  '  Richard  III.'  Mr.  Richard  Russell,  who  was  act- 
ing as  manager  of  the  Petersburg  theatre,  in  the  absence 
of  Mr.  Caldwell,  happened  to  hear  of  the  appearance 
of  a  Mr.  Booth  in  Richmond,  and  went  to  that  city  to 
ascertain  who  the  person  was,  assuming  that  name,  and 
came  back  highly  pleased  with  the  man,  saying  he  had 


56  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

engaged  him  to  play  one  night  in  Petersburg,  then 
to  finish  his  engagement  in  Richmond,  and  return  to 
Petersburg  for  a  number  of  nights.  He  had  selected 
'  Richard  III.'  for  his  first  appearance  in  Petersburg. 
The  play  was  cast,  and  put  up  in  the  green-room,  and 
the  night  on  which  it  was  to  be  performed  stated.  On 
the  morning  of  the  day  set  apart,  the  large  bills  posted 
on  the  corners  of  the  streets  announced  '  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  the  great  tragedian,  J.  B.  Booth,  from  the 
London  theatres,  —  Covent  Garden  and  Drury  Lane.' 
The  play  was  called  for  rehearsal  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M. 
At  the  proper  time  the  rehearsal  commenced,  but  with- 
out Mr.  Booth.  He  had  not  arrived ;  but  the  manager 
said  the  rehearsal  must  go  on,  and  he  would  have  Mr. 
Booth's  scenes  rehearsed  after  he  arrived.  I  think 
they  had  reached  the  fourth  act  of  the  play,  and  I  was 
sauntering  near  the  head  of  the  stairs  that  led  up  to 
the  stage,  when  a  small  man  that  I  took  to  be  a  well- 
grown  boy  of  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  came  running 
up  the  stairs,  wearing  a  roundabout  jacket  and  a  cheap 
straw  hat,  both  covered  with  dust,  and  inquired  for  the 
stage-manager.  I  pointed  across  the  stage  to  Mr. 
Russell,  who  at  that  moment  had  observed  the  person 
with  whom  I  was  conversing,  and  hurried  toward  us, 
and,  cordially  grasping  the  hand  of  the  strange  man, 
said,  *  Ah  !  Mr.  Booth,  I  am  glad  you  have  arrived ;  we 
were  fearful  something  serious  had  happened  to  you.' 
I  do  not  think  any  man  was  ever  more  astonished  than 
I  was  just  then  in  beholding  this  meeting.  Is  it  possi- 
ble this  can  be  the  great  Mr.  Booth,  that  Mr.  Russell 
says  is  '  undoubtedly  the  best  actor  living '  ?  and  I  be- 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


57 


gan  to  think  Russell  was  trying  to  put  off  some  joke 
upon  us  all.  I  observed,  however,  that  when  the  small 
man  came  upon  the  stage  to  rehearse  his  scenes,  he 
was  quite  '  at  home,'  and  showed  a  knowledge  of  the 
business  of  the  character  that  a  mere  novice  or  pre- 
tender could  not  have  acquired.  He  ran  through  the 
rehearsal  very  carelessly,  gave  very  few  special  or  peculiar 
directions,  tried  the  combat  of  the  last  act  over  twice, 
and  said,  'That  will  do,'  and  the  rehearsal  was  over.  He 
then  told  Mr.  Russell  that  he  had  been  a  few  minutes 
too  late  for  the  stage-coach  that  had  left  Richmond 
early  in  the  morning.  And  that  he  soon  after  started  on 
foot,  and  had  walked  all  the  way,  —  twenty-five  miles  ; 
that  his  wardrobe  had  been  sent  to  the  stage-office  be- 
fore he  was  up  ;  had  been  taken  by  the  coach,  and,  he 
supposed,  was  ready  in  the  city  for  the  proper  claimant. 
"  When  the  curtain  rose  at  night,  all  the  company 
were  on  the  alert  to  see  the  supposed  great  actor  make 
his  entrance  before  the  audience.  When  the  proper 
scene  opened,  Mr.  Booth  walked  on  the  stage,  made 
no  recognition  of  the  reception  applause,  and,  in  an 
apparently  meditative  mood,  began  the  soliloquy  of 
'  Now  is  the  Winter  of  our  discontent,'  which  he  deliv- 
ered with  seeming  indifference,  and  with  little  if  any 
point,  something  after  the  manner  of  a  schoolboy  re- 
peating a  lesson  of  which  he  had  learned  the  words, 
but  was  heedless  of  their  meaning ;  and  then  made  his 
exit,  without  receiving  any  additional  applause.  I  was 
not  where  I  could  ascertain  the  impression  made  upon 
the  audience,  but  on  the  stage,  at  the  side  scenes,  the 
actors  were  looking  at  each  other  in  all  kinds  of  ways, 


58  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

expressive  of  astonishment  and  disgust.  I  was  stand- 
ing near  Mr.  Benton,  an  old  a#or,  —  the  King  Henry 
of  the  evening,  —  and  as  I  turned  to  go  away,  he  said, 
'  What  do  you  think  of  him,  Mr.  Ludlow? '  '  Think,'  I 
replied,  '  why,  I  think,  as  I  thought  before,  that  he  is 
an  impostor  !  What  do  you  think  of  him  ? '  '  Why, 
sir,'  said  Benton,  '  if  the  remainder  of  his  Richard 
should  prove  like  the  beginning,  I  have  never  yet,  I 
suppose,  seen  the  character  played,  for  it  is  unlike  any 
I  ever  saw ;  it  may  be  very  good,  but  I  don't  fancy 
it.'  I  found  that  among  the  company,  generally,  a  like 
estimate  of  the  great  man  prevailed,  Mr.  Russell  being 
the  only  exception  ;  he,  having  witnessed  Mr.  Booth's 
acting  at  Richmond,  still  persisted  in  saying  he  was  the 
greatest  actor  he  had  ever  seen.  His  scene  with  Lady 
Anne,  where  he  encounters  and  interrupts  the  funeral 
procession  of  King  Henry  VI.,  was  as  tame  and  point- 
less as  his  first  soliloquy.  I  had  seen  George  Frederick 
Cooke  perform  Richard  III.,  about  ten  years  prior  to 
the  time  that  I  saw  Mr.  Booth  first,  at  which  period  I  was 
a  youth  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  impressions  are 
vivid  and  lasting,  and  I  had  retained  a  perfect  recollec- 
tion of  the  effects  Mr.  Cooke  produced  on  the  audi- 
ence, myself  included ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  no 
great  actor  would  pass  through  these  two  scenes  with 
that  careless  indifference  that  Mr.  Booth  evinced.  It 
has  ever  remained  a  mystery  to  me  why  Mr.  Booth 
always  slighted  the  first  two  acts  of '  Richard  III.' ;  and 
I  can  only  account  for  it  on  the  supposition  that  it  was 
with  the  view  of  reserving  his  powers  for  the  remaining 
three  acts,  in  which  considerable  physical  as  well  as 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


59 


mental  efforts  are  required.  And  yet,  when  I  first  met 
Mr.  Booth,  he  did  not  appear  to  be  deficient  in  phy- 
sique. I  retained  my  first  impression  of  Mr.  Booth  un- 
til he  came  to  the  fourth  act,  where,  in  a  scene  with 
Buckingham,  he  hints  at  the  murder  of  the  young 
princes.  Then  I  thought  I  discovered  something 
worthy  of  a  great  actor.  From  that  on,  his  acting  was 
unique  and  wonderful.  I  had  never  seen  any  one  pro- 
duce such  effects,  and  come  so  near  my  ideas  of  the 
character,  —  not  even  Mr.  Cooke,  who  was  as  far  below 
Mr.  Booth  in  the  last  two  acts  as  he  was  above  him  in 
the  first  three.  When  the  curtain  fell  upon  the  finish- 
ing of  the  play,  there  was  a  burst  of  applause  from 
audience  and  actors  such  as  I  will  venture  to  say 
Petersburg  never  knew  before,  nor  has  known  since. 
After  this  one  night's  performance  Mr.  Booth  returned 
to  Richmond,  finished  his  engagement  there,  and  then 
came  again  to  Petersburg,  and  played  six  or  eight  nights 
to  crowded  and  delighted  audiences. 

"  I  hope  that  the  reader  will  not  think  me  tedious  or 
over-enthusiastic  if  I  relate  something  more  in  regard  to 
this  gentleman,  who,  I  have  long  considered,  was  one 
of  the  great  lights  of  the  stage,  until  age  and  infirmities 
impaired  his  faculties.  On  Mr.  Booth's  return  to  Pe- 
tersburg he  commenced  his  engagement  with  Colman's 
play  of  the  '  Iron  Chest,'  in  which  he  performed  the 
character  of  -Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  playing  with  him  his  secretary,  Wilford ' ; 
and  here  let  me  state  an  effect  produced  on  me  at  that 
time  which  half  a  century  has  not  been  able  to  oblit- 
erate, and  that  will  keep  its  place  '  while  memory  holds 


60  THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 

a  seat  in  this  distracted  globe."  In  the  play  there  is  a 
scene  where  Sir  Edward  attempts  to  disclose  to  Wil- 
ford  a  secret  which  he  had  kept  securely  from  the 
world  for  years,  —  a  murder  for  which  he  had  been 
tried  and  acquitted,  and  at  the  trial  the  course  of  jus- 
tice had  been  disturbed  by  cries  of  '  Innocent ! '  ere 
the  verdict  had  been  declared.  In  this  scene  the 
struggle  between  his  pride  and  shame,  from  the  neces- 
sity of  making  this  youth,  Wilford,  —  his  secretary, 
the  creature  of  his  bounty,  —  the  depository  of  this 
astounding  secret,  was  so  terrifically  wrought  up  and 
so  magnificently  portrayed  that  I  was  brought  to  a 
'  standstill '  upon  the  stage,  in  wonderment  of  the  man's 
great  tragic  powers,  and  only  recovered  my  self-posses- 
sion when  Mr.  Booth  said,  in  an  undertone,  '  Go  on, 
go  on  ! '  I  never  had  such  an  effect  produced  on  me 
by  any  other  person's  acting  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
dramatic  career.  Mr.  Booth  had  at  that  time  the  finest 
stage  face  I  ever  met  with ;  its  splendid  contour  had 
not  been  marred  by  the  breaking  of  what  is  commonly 
called  the  '  bridge  of  the  nose,'  and  his  eyes,  of  which 
he  made  great  use  in  acting,  were  brilliant  and  expres- 
sive, —  as  Hamlet  says,  '  an  eye  like  Mars,  to  threaten 
and  command.' " 

On  his  second  visit  to  Petersburg  Mr.  Booth  acted 
six  nights  to  numerous  and  delighted  audiences,  then 
retired  to  a  country-place  to  enjoy  a  respite  from 
fatigue.  He  lived  at  a  roadside  inn  between  Rich- 
mond and  Petersburg,  where  many  travellers  were  in 
the  habit  of  tarrying  over  night.  One  evening,  Mr. 
Booth  overheard  the  landlord  commanding  the  waiter 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  gj 

to  "  get  the  new  lodger's  boots,"  —  referring  to  a  fresh 
arrival  who  had  retired  early  and  thereby  caused  sus- 
picion in  the  mind  of  the  wary  host.  The  boy  returned 
with  the  answer,  "The  gentleman  says  he  has  no 
boots."  "  Go  up  at  once,"  replied  the  landlord,  "  and 
demand  his  shoes."  The  boy  came  back  and  stated 
in  dismay,  "The  gentleman  says  he  has  no  shoes." 
The  landlord  now  became  much  excited;  upon  which 
Mr.  Booth  inquired  why  he  was  so  anxious  to  obtain 
the  lodger's  boots.  "  Why,  sir,"  the  host  replied  con- 
fusedly, "  we  have  strange  characters  stop  here  some- 
times, who  have  a  way  of  rising  early  in  the  morning 
and  walking  off  before  any  of  the  family  are  astir ;  so 
I  manage  to  get  possession  of  their  boots,  and  they  are 
compelled  to  remain  until  their  bills  are  settled." 

The  host  and  his  family  assuring  themselves  of  the 
evil  intentions  of  the  "  footpad,"  as  they  designated 
the  unconscious  lodger,  were  exceedingly  anxious  in 
watching  his  movements.  In  the  morning  the  person 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  so  many  dark  surmises 
made  his  appearance  at  the  breakfast  table,  and,  to  the 
astonishment  of  Mr.  Booth,  he  proved  to  be  the  dis- 
tinguished tragedian,  Thomas  Cooper. 

Mr.  Booth  returned  to  Richmond  in  September,  and 
fulfilled  a  second  engagement,  which  proved  more  lu- 
crative than  the  one  of  the  preceding  summer. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1821,  he  arrived  in  New  York, 
where  he  was  immediately  engaged  by  the  manager  of 
the  Park  Theatre,  and  announced  to  play  Richard  on 
the  5th.  From  the  numerous  allusions  of  the  press, 
the  following  is  copied  :  — 


62  THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 

"  The  notoriety  of  Mr.  Booth  in  London  (and  from 
the  various  reports  of  our  friends  who  had  seen  him 
there)  had  greatly  excited  public  curiosity.  In  conse- 
quence, a  full  and  fashionable  audience  assembled  at  an 
early  hour  on  Friday  evening,  to  witness  his  d^but.  He 
was  welcomed  by  three  long  distinct  rounds  of  applause, 
and  we  could  perceive  he  was  embarrassed  and  sensibly 
affected.  When  we  reflect  upon  Mr.  Booth's  youth, 
and  the  effect  produced  by  his  acting,  we  cannot  with- 
hold from  him  our  highest  praise.  In  the  tent  scene 
he  showed  much  originality ;  rising  from  the  couch,  he 
dashed  to  the  bottom  of  the  stage,  and  with  an  attitude 
and  expression  of  countenance  we  cannot  describe,  and 
will  not  forget,  but  which  was  neither  that  of  Cooke, 
Cooper,  Kean,  nor  Wallack,  he  made  an  extraordinary 
and  most  sensible  impression  on  the  audience.  There 
was  at  first  a  pause,  which  suddenly  burst  forth  into 
a  long  and  rapturous  applause,  intermixed  with  loud 
expressions  of  approbation.  In  the  contest  with  Rich- 
mond, and  the  dying  scene,  he  was  loudly  applauded, 
and  fell  amidst  the  cries  of  '  Bravo  !  Bravo  ! ' ' 

At  that  time  there  were  but  two  regular  theatres  in 
New  York,  the  Park  and  the  Bowery.  "  Stars  "  were 
generally  engaged  by  managers  for  the  limited  space  of 
six  nights,  and  rarely  prolonged  the  engagement  beyond 
twelve.  The  repetition  of  standard  plays  for  a  great 
number  of  nights  consecutively,  so  common  in  our 
age,  was  entirely  unknown  by  the  "  Old  Park  "  patrons 
nearly  half  a  century  ago. 

On  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Booth's  first  benefit  in  New 
York  he  appeared  as  Hamlet  and  as  Jerry  Sneak,  in 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  63 

the  old  farce  of  "  Mayor  of  Garratt."  The  New  York 
Post  of  the  ensuing  day  contained  the  following  no- 
tice :  — 

"  At  the  close  of  the  afterpiece  there  was  an  unani- 
mous cry  for  Mr.  Booth,  scarcely  an  individual  leaving 
either  pit  or  boxes,  but  waited  for  his  change  of  dress  ; 
he  then  appeared  amid  the  shouts  and  huzzas  of  a  de- 
lighted audience.  The  young  stranger  was  so  evidently 
embarrassed  at  the  unexpected  compliment,  that  he 
was  almost  unable  to  speak,  and  addressed  the  audi- 
ence in  a  voice  so  low  that  we  were  unable  to  hear  all 
he  said.  We  understood  him,  however,  to  say  that  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  gratitude  ;  he  knew  not  how  to 
express  the  feelings  which  their  kindness  and  liberality 
had  inspired  ;  he  was  unaccustomed  on  such  occasions 
to  address  an  audience ;  he  did  not  expect  the  honor 
would  have  been  extended  to  him;  he  never  should 
and  never  could  forget  it.  This  agitation  evidently  in- 
creasing, he  bowed  to  the  audience  and  retired  amidst 
thundering  applause,  leaving  behind  him  impressions 
not  a  little  improved  by  the  modesty  of  his  deport- 
ment." 

From  New  York  Mr.  Booth  went  South,  acting  in  Bal- 
timore, Norfolk,  Charleston,  New  Orleans,  and  Savan- 
nah ;  his  travels  through  many  of  the  Southern  States 
being  an  ovation.  It  is  rumored  that  he  frequently 
expressed  a  desire  "  to  retire  from  public  life  and  keep 
a  lighthouse."  That  he  seriously  contemplated  such  a 
step  is  shown  by  the  annexed  copy  of  a  memorandum 
of  his  own  dated  February  12,  1822. 

"  Spoke  to  Mr.  Blount,  collector  of  customs,  and  one 


64 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


of  the  passengers,  about  Cape  Hatteras  Lighthouse. 
He  offered  it  to  me  with  the  dwelling-house,  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  attached ;  and  a  salary  of  $300  per  annum, 
for  keeping  the  light,  —  government  providing  oil  aad 
cotton,  —  a  quart  of  oil  per  diem.  Grapes,  water-mel- 
ons, cabbages,  potatoes,  carrots,  and  onions  grow  in 
abundance  there.  Rain-water  the  only  drink ;  a  cistern 
on  the  premises  for  that  purpose.  Abundance  of  fish 
and  wild  fowl ;  —  pigs,  cows,  and  horses  find  good  pas- 
ture. Soil  too  light  for  wheat  or  corn.  Flour  bought 
for  four  or  five  dollars  a  barrel.  The  office  is  for  life, 
and  only  taken  away  through  misbehavior.  Lighthouse 
seventy-five  feet  high ;  light  requires  trimming  every 
night  at  twelve  o'clock.  No  taxes  whatever.  Fire- 
wood is  procured  from  the  pieces  of  wreck  found  on 
the  shoals.  One  dollar  per  day  is  the  charge  for  men 
who  assist  in  cases  of  wreck.  Strawberries,  currant- 
bushes,  and  apple-trees  should  be  taken  there ;  also 
a  plough,  spades,  and  chest  of  carpenter  tools.  Pine 
tables  the  best.  Mr.  Blount  is  to  write  me  word  if  the 
office  can  be  given  me  in  April  next,  from  his  seat  at 
Washington,  North  Carolina." 

It  may  hardly  be  necessary  to  add  that  he  did  not 
obtain  the  situation  of  "  lighthouse-keeper,"  owing,  as 
was  eventually  disclosed,  to  the  timely  interference  of 
theatrical  managers,  who  were  loath  to  suffer  the  total 
eclipse  of  so  brilliant  a  star.  Although  his  disposition  was 
ever  humble  and  retiring,  it  is  singular  that  in  the  zenith 
of  his  fame  and  with  such  glowing  prospects  of  fortune, 
he  should  have  contemplated  a  life  of  hardship  and 
comparative  poverty  as  more  conducive  to  happiness. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  65 

He  now  made  his  first  appearance  in  Boston,  and 
the  event  is  thus  spoken  of  in  Clapp's  "  Record  of  the 
Boston  Stage"  :  — 

"  The  first  appearance  of  this  great  actor  in  Boston, 
where  for  so  many  years  he  has  attracted  those  most 
conversant  with  the  different  schools  of  acting,  and  has 
delighted  elsewhere  the  most  critical  audiences  in  the 
world  by  his  masterly  impersonations,  occurred  on  the 
6th  of  May,  1822.  He  made  his  appearance  as  Rich- 
ard, a  character  which  he  is  identified  with  wherever 
he  has  performed.  His  acting  then  received  the  ap- 
plause of  a  Boston  audience,  and  up  to  his  last  appear- 
ance in  this  city,  prior  to  his  death,  he  retained  the 
position  he  so  eminently  deserved.  During  his  engage- 
ment he  performed  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  Sir  Giles 
Overreach,  Odai'ian,  and  for  his  benefit,  Hamlet,  on 
which  occasion  the  receipts  were  eight  hundred  dollars. 
Booth's  acting  always  evinced  genius.  Like  Edmund 
Kean,  there  was  inspiration  in  his  embodiment  of  Shaks- 
perian  characters,  and  even  when  the  words  were  lost 
to  the  hearing  the  eye  needed  no  vocal  interpreter,  for 
Booth,  more  than  any  actor  we  have  ever  seen,  pos- 
sessed the  power  of  combining  a  meaning  in  every 
gesture,  and  a  silent  glance  was  equivalent  to  a  deliv- 
ered sentence.  As  a  soliloquist  he  excelled.  With 
many  actors  all  soliloquies  seem  like  so  many  titlepages 
to  the  succeeding  acts ;  but  Booth  avoided  all  strains 
after  startling  points,  and  gave  to  such  passages,  both 
in  Hamlet  and  Richard,  an  interest  without  destroying 
the  unity  of  the  play." 

In  the  summer  of  1822,  while  the  yellow-fever  was 


66  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

raging  in  Baltimore,  Mr.  Booth  purchased  a  farm 
twenty-five  miles  from  that  city,  lying  in  Harford 
County,  Maryland.  This  place  became  his  constant 
resort  when  free  from  the  excitement  of  his  profession, 
and  was  the  birthplace  of  his  children.  It  was  always 
known  as  "  The  Farm,"  but  was  in  reality  a  dense 
woodland,  merging  on  one  side  into  a  great  forest, 
called  the  "  Big  Woods,"  which  served  as  a  free  hunt- 
ing-ground on  moonlight  nights  when  the  whole  place 
was  rendered  musical  by  the  baying  of  the  hounds 
and  the  call  of  the  sportsmen.  His  uncultivated  pos- 
sessions lay  three  miles  equally  distant  from  three 
small  villages,  —  Belair,  the  county  town,  Hickory,  and 
Churchville, — which  were  merely  hamlets,  or  stopping- 
places  for  travellers  in  the  great  wilderness  of  the  dis- 
trict. The  rough  coach-road  to  the  Farm  was  made 
picturesque  and  delightful  in  summer  by  the  massive 
trees  which  arched  it.  Along  this  stony  highway  the 
post-boy  used  to  ride  once  a  week,  sounding  his  horn, 
and  tossing  the  ever-welcome  letters  and  papers  over 
the  gate.  From  the  road  a  crooked,  narrow  pathway 
wound  to  the  Booth  dwelling,  which  was  set  among  the 
trees,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  This  was  a  log-cabin, 
plastered  and  whitewashed  on  the  exterior ;  the  small 
square  window- frames,  and  broad,  plain  shutters, 
which,  like  the  doors,  never  knew  the  innovation  of 
lock  or  bolt,  were  painted  red.  Four  rooms  besides 
the  loft,  the  kitchen,  and  the  Old  Dominion  chimney, 
made  up  a  picturesque  and  comfortable  abode,  standing 
in  a  clearing  encompassed  by  huge  oak,  black  walnut, 
beech,  and  tulip  trees. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  67 

The  cabin  in  its  primal  state,  unpainted  and  unplas- 
tered,  had  been  removed  to  its  present  locality  across 
several  fields.  This  proceeding  caused  great  wonder- 
ment among  the  villagers,  as  every  available  man,  ox, 
and  horse,  that  could  be  hired,  were  in  requisition. 
Much  time  and  money  were  expended  in  this  under- 
taking, but  its  successful  accomplishment  stamped  the 
owner  as  a  master-mind,  and  the  more  fiercely  the 
winter  storms  raged  and  the  summer  tornadoes  swept 
by,  the  more  wise  did  he  appear  to  those  who  had 
predicted  the  quick  demolition  of  the  taut  little  cabin. 
This  costly  removal  had  been  effected  on  account  of  a 
spring  of  delicious  water  which  Mr.  Booth  had  discov- 
ered under  the  thickest  trees.  These  he  would  not 
suffer  to  be  removed,  but  the  old  spring  was  orna- 
mented with  granite  ledges  and  steps.  In  its  grateful 
depths  dwelt  an  immense  green  bull-frog ;  and  as  these 
creatures  are  said  to  live  a  hundred  years,  the  children 
of  the  family  used  to  imagine  that  he  had  croaked  to 
the  first  invaders  of  his  solitude  as  he  did  to  them. 
In  this  shaded  spot  a  little  dairy  was  built,  and  the 
thoughtful  possessor  planted  in  front  of  his  door  a 
cherry-shoot,  anticipating  the  future  when  his  children 
should  gather  under  its  branches.  Those  days  came 
in  their  time,  and  his  tall  sons  swung  themselves  up 
among  its  great  boughs,  to  read  or  doze  away  many  a 
sultry  afternoon.  Merry  groups  gossiped  under  its  shel- 
ter, little  ones  danced  there,  while  older  ones  dreamed, 
and  reared  airy  castles ;  the  aged  mother  in  her  widow- 
hood remembered  happier  days  in  its  shadows ;  and 
every  year  the  orioles  and  mocking-birds  paid  their  wel- 


68  THE   ELDER   BOOTH. 

come  visits.  This  grand  old  grafted  tree  was  very  tall 
and  straight,  and  shaded  the  entire  lawn. 

The  Farm  was  belted  by  a  thick,  unbroken  circle  of 
native  trees  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  ;  it  was  com- 
pletely isolated,  and  the  chief  delight  of  its  owner  was 
that  it  was  so  perfectly  shut  in,  and  away  from  the  world. 

An  extensive  orchard  was  laid  out ;  barn  and  stables 
were  erected,  and  a  clumsily  constructed  cider-press 
put  together,  which  was  worked  by  the  blacks, — nearly 
all  the  labor  of  the  farm  being  done  by  them.  It  was 
the  period  of  picturesque  farming,  when  flails  and  sieves 
were  used  instead  of  the  noisy  threshing-machine  and 
the  fan.  Mr.  Booth  advocated  the  use  of  lime  on  his 
fields,  and  foresaw  the  time  when  bone-dust  would 
be  applied  for  manuring  purposes:  Substantial  negro 
quarters  were  built,  and  a  valuable  vineyard  planted  ;  a 
swimming  pond,  with  its  little  island  covered  with  wil- 
low-trees, and  a  stream  for  fish  were  made  by  turning 
the  numerous  branches  of  a  neighboring  brook  into 
their  respective  beds ;  the  directing  mind  as  well  as 
the  readiest  hand  in  all  these  achievements  being  "  the 
Massa's." 

In  a  few  years  a  little  graveyard  was  railed  in,  where 
the  Jewish  althea  bushes  had  their  places  among  the 
yews  and  weeping-willows.  In  country  homesteads 
these  private  graveyards  are  common,  and  the  duty  of 
reading  the  burial  service  devolves  upon  the  master  of 
the  house  when  it  is  impracticable  to  obtain  a  clergy- 
man. Mr.  Booth  was  often  called  upon  to  officiate  at 
the  interment  of  members  of  his  household  here  (the 
blacks  being  buried  outside  the  rails). 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  $g 

Mr.  Booth,  now  a  farmer  in  earnest,  took  a  weekly 
magazine,  or  paper  on  farming,  which  he  carefully  hung 
on  file,  as  he  did  his  play-bills.  He  imported  fish  for 
his  lakelet,  but  after  a  brief  time  they  degenerated  and 
passed  away,  like  the  Algonquin  Indians,  whose  war 
trophies  and  small  arrow-heads  or  elf-shot  were  thickly 
embedded  in  the  soft  earth  of  the  forest.  The  delights 
of  the  new  strange  world  to  which  he  had  come  were 
minutely  described  in  an  old  note-book  (the  pencil 
writing  scarcely  legible  now),  interspersed  with  pas- 
sages from  plays,  memoranda  of  dresses,  properties, 
and  stage  directions,  births  and  deaths  of  children,  time 
and  duration  of  meteors,  astronomical  data,  fast  days, 
and  lastly  a  few  verses  called  "  The  Son  of  Alknomook," 
which  it  is  now  impossible  to  decipher,  but  which  were 
learned  from  him  in  childhood  by  the  writer. 

His  "  library  "  was  placed  upon  a  few  shelves,  and 
consisted  of  volumes  of  Shelley,  Coleridge,  and  Keats, 
a  Gazetteer  of  the  World,  an  English  and  a  French  Dic- 
tionary, Racine,  Alfieri,  Tasso,  Dante,  Burton's  Anat- 
omy of  Melancholy,  Plutarch's  Morals  and  Lives,  Milton, 
Shakspere,  the  Koran,  Locke's  Essay  on  the  Human 
Understanding,  and  Paley's  Theology. 

Three  engravings  adorned  the  walls  of  the  single  par- 
lor, —  "  Timon  of  Athens,"  "  The  Roman  Matron  show- 
ing her  Husband  how  to  Die,"  and  the  "  Death  of 
Bonaparte,"  with  these  words  written  in  the  clouds, 
"  Tete  d'Armee."  The  simple  furniture  of  this  humble 
home  was  of  the  roughest  kind,  but  such  as  would  for 
its  antiquity  be  thought  valuable  and  desirable  now. 
It  consisted  of  a  corner  cupboard  filled  with  quaint 


7o 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


china,  a  narrow  looking-glass  with  the  upper  half  bear- 
ing a  picture  of  the  sun  and  moon,  human  faces  repre- 
senting each,  tall  brass  andirons,  a  high  brass  fender,  and 
a  spinning-wheel ;  for  it  was  the  farmer's  pride  that  all 
his  blankets  and  woollen  goods  came  from  the  backs  of 
his  own  sheep,  and  were  spun  at  home.  An  old  "  Her- 
balist "  hung  by  the  side  of  the  amusing  and  instructive 
"  Almanack  "  on  the  wall ;  an  ink-horn  and  a  bunch  of 
quills,  together  with  little  bags  of  seed  and  other  neces- 
sary small  articles,  were  ranged  on  little  hooks  around 
the  looking-glass.  The  round  Dutch  oven  that  baked 
the  wholesome  bread,  and  the  immense  heavy  pewter 
platters  from  which  the  simple  meals  were  eaten,  and 
which  served  in  later  years  as  covers  to  the  milk-crocks 
in  the  dairy,  also  the  wonderful  cradle-baskets  for  the 
babies,  and  many  smaller  wicker  baskets  of  odd  shapes, 
would  now  be  readily  secured  as  curiosities.  Basket- 
weaving  in  the  long  winter  evenings  was  the  favorite 
occupation  of  "  Old  Joe,"  —  young  Joe  then,  —  a  faith- 
ful trusted  slave  to  an  indulgent  master,  who  hired  him 
to  Mr.  Booth  year  after  year  till  both  had  grown  old. 
Long  after  the  actor  had  passed  away  old  Joe,  until  his 
own  death,  remained  in  the  service  of  the  Booth  family. 
There  were  some  sternly  enforced  rules  in  this  house- 
hold. One  was  the  entire  abstaining  from  animal  food. 
Animal  life  was  sacred  on  the  Farm,  —  even  the  black 
snakes,  the  dangerous  copperheads,  and  the  destructive 
nighthawks  and  opossums,  were  spared.  The  loss  of 
many  sheep  and  hogs  induced  this  merciful  farmer  at 
last  to  have  his  stock  branded ;  but  farming  was  less 
profitable  than  pleasant,  and  the  actor  had  to  leave  his 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  ji 

plough,  like  Cincinnatus,  and  go  forth  at  the  call  of 
duty.  Very  necessary,  though,  were  the  calm  and  rest 
and  congenial  labor  on  that  secluded  farm  after  the 
strain  on  brain  and  nerves  and  the  long  wearisome 
travelling  of  those  days. 

In  the  year  1822  Mr.  Booth  welcomed  his  father 
to  his  country  home.  Richard  Booth  from  his  early 
manhood  had  regarded  America  as  the  desideratum  of 
all  men,  and  he  wished  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  the  United  States.  He  was  energetic  in  manag- 
ing the  Farm  in  his  son's  frequent  and  prolonged  ab- 
sence, and  he  employed  his  leisure  in  copying  memoirs 
of  eminent  men.  At  the  close  of  his  life  he  was  occu- 
pied upon  a  translation  of  the  "  ^Eneid,"  with  a  view  of 
adapting  it  to  the  stage. 

The  play-bill  announcing  the  first  appearance  of 
Mr.  Booth  in  Philadelphia,  at  the  house  now  known 
as  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre,  will  be  found  in  full 
on  the  following  page.  Three  years  previously  Ed- 
mund Kean  made  his  d£but  before  a  Philadelphia 
audience  under  the  same  management. 

Mr.  Booth  usually  travelled  from  Harford  County  to 
Baltimore  and  to  Richmond  in  his  carryall  with  two 
horses,  —  "  Captain,"  a  very  large  animal,  and  the  fa- 
vorite but  diminutive  "  Peacock."  He  frequently  en- 
countered Mr.  Cooper,  the  tragedian,  who  also  travelled 
by  his  own  conveyance.  In  the  year  1825  Mr.  Booth 
sailed  for  Europe,  accompanied  by  his  family,  and  an 
extract  from  one  of  his  letters  to  his  father,  quoted 
here,  refers  to  an  accidental  meeting  with  Edmund 
Kean. 


NEW  THEATRE. 

The  managers  respectfully  inform  the  public  that 

MR.    BOOTH, 

Of  the  Theatres  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  and  Covent  Garden,  is  en- 
gaged for  a  few  nights,  and  will  make  his  first 
appearance  in  this  city  on 

Monday  Evening,  February  i"jt/i,  1823, 
In  the  Tragedy  of 

RICHARD  THE   THIRD. 

Richard,  Duke  of  Gloster Mr.  Booth. 

King  Henry  the  Sixth Mr.  \Vm.  Warren. 

Prince  of  Wales Mr.  Hathwell. 

Duke  of  York Miss  H.  Hathwell. 

Duke  of  Buckingham Mr.  W.  B.  Wood 

Henry,  Earl  of  Richmond Mr.  II.  Wai  lack. 

Duke  of  Norfolk Mr.  Wheatly. 

Tressel Mr.  T.  Jefferson. 

Catesby Mr.  Darley. 

Ratcliff Mr.  Scrivener. 

Earl  of  Oxford Mr.  J.  Jefferson. 

Lieutenant  of  Tower Mr.  Bignall. 

Lord  Stanley Mr.  Hathwell. 

Lord  Mayor Mr.  Burke. 

Tyrrel Mr.  Murray. 

Blount Mr.  Greene. 

Queen  Elizabeth Mrs.  Tatnall. 

Duchess  of  York Mrs.  Jefferson. 

Lady  Anne Mrs.  Darley. 

After  which,  a  favorite  Farce,  called  the 

SPOILED   CHILD. 

On  Wednesday,  the  "  Iron  Chest  "  ;  Sir  Edward  Mortimer, 
Mr.  Booth. 

On  Friday, "  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts  "  ;  Sir  Giles  Over- 
reach, Mr.  Booth. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


73 


"  LIVERPOOL,  Sept.  20,  1825. 

"  DEAR  FATHER,  —  At  last  we  are  arrived  after  a  pas- 
sage of  twenty-nine  days'  duration,  which  is  a  long  one 
from  America  at  this  season.  To-day  we  go  to  London 
through  Leicester.  Kean  sails  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
by  the  '  Silas  Richards,'  for  New  York.  Strange  that 
he  should  meet  me  here  —  he  ready  to  embark,  and  to 
that  very  country  I  have  just  left !  He  has  been  quite 
ill,  and  looks  wretchedly.  I  passed  an  hour  with  him 
last  night  at  his  quarters,  and  reconciled  our  ancient 
misunderstanding.  The  vessel  he  goes  in  to  New  York 
will  most  probably  be  the  conveyance  for  this  letter.  I 
really  wish  he  may  meet  with  success.  He  has  been 
all  along  a  victim  to  sharpers  and  flatterers,  who  buoyed 
him  up  with  the  notion  of  omnipotence,  which  now  he 
awakes  from,  and  perceives  the  hollowness  of  those  on 
whom  he  mostly  relied.  Macready  is  sick,  Young  is 
gone  to  Italy  for  his  health,  and  Elliston  is  reported  to 
be  dying." 

Mr.  Booth  appeared  in  London  at  Drury  Lane  The- 
atre, opening  in  "  Brutus."  Being  loudly  called  for 
at  the  fall  of  the  curtain,  he  persistently  refused  to  go 
forward,  urging  as  his  reason  that  the  custom  should 
be  abolished.  After  this  engagement  he  played  at  the 
Royalty  Theatre,  and  on  his  opening  night  after  the  per- 
formance of  "  Richard  "  the  entire  building  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  It  was  the  result  of  an  accident  by 
which  the  management  lost  eighteen  thousand  pounds, 
while  all  that  remained  of  Mr.  Booth's  entire  wardrobe 
were  three  charred  links  of  his  coronation  collar,  which 
he  afterward  found  amid  the  ruins. 


74 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


From  one  of  his  letters  dated  February,  1826,  the 
following  extract  is  taken  :  — 

"  The  distress  is  so  excessive,  in  consequence  of  the 
number  of  banks  failing  and  the  full  weekly  list  of  bank- 
rupts, that  men  look  upon  each  other  doubtful  if  they 
shall  defend  their  own,  or  steal  their  neighbor's  prop- 
erty. Famine  stares  all  England  in  the  face.  As  for 
theatricals,  they  are  not  thought  of,  much  less  patron- 
ized. The  emigration  to  America  will  be  very  numer- 
ous, as  it  is  hardly  possible  for  the  middling  classes  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together." 

Mr.  Booth  received  an  offer  to  perform  in  rivalry 
with  W.  C.  Macready  in  Dublin,  but  not  considering 
the  pecuniary  inducement  sufficient,  he  declined ;  and 
after  fulfilling  an  -engagement  at  Bristol,  under  the  man- 
agement of  the  elder  Macready,  he  visited  Holland.  At 
Amsterdam  he  played  Macbeth  several  times  by  special 
request  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  who  was  present  at 
each  repetition  of  that  character,  and  witnessed  also 
his  performance  of  /ago,  on  which  occasion  Mr.  S. 
Chapman  enacted  Othello. 

After  performing  in  Rotterdam,  Brussels,  etc.,  Booth 
sailed  from  the  former  place  for  America,  in  the  ship 
"  Draper,"  Captain  Hilliert.  Possessing  a  facility  of 
acquiring  languages,  he  had  made  himself  master  of 
many  tongues.  Greek,  Latin,  and  French  were  the 
acquisition  of  his  college  days,  German  and  Spanish  he 
studied  in  maturer  years,  and  Arabic  he  endeavored  to 
acquire  in  age.  On  this  homeward  voyage  in  1827  he 
was  occupied  in  the  study  of  Italian.  It  was  his  habit 
to  set  himself  a  task  consisting  of  a  certain  number  of 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


75 


words  which  he  had  previously  written  on  slips  of  paper, 
and,  as  he  walked  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  to  commit 
them  to  memory. 

An  unfortunate  passenger  who  was  allowed  free  ac- 
cess to  all  parts  of  the  vessel,  and  who,  although  insane, 
was  not  considered  dangerous,  conceived  the  idea  that 
Mr.  Booth  was  a  conjurer,  and  practising  the  black  art 
upon  him.  One  day,  while  the  unconscious  student 
was  in  his  cabin,  his  black  girl  rushed  in,  exclaiming,  — 

"  The  crazy  man  is  coming  with  an  axe  !  " 

He  turned  toward  the  door  just  in  time  to  catch  the 
glance  of  the  intruder.  With  the  unflinching  gaze  of 
self-possession,  he  fixed  the  eye  of  the  maniac,  who 
gradually  lowered  the  weapon,  and,  letting  it  fall  behind 
him,  walked  slowly  away. 

Mr.  Booth,  on  his  return  to  America,  made  his  first 
appearance,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1827,  at  the  Park 
Theatre,  New  York,  and  played  successively  Richard, 
Sir  Giles  Overreach,  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  Posthu- 
tnus,  Reuben  Glenroy,  and,  for  his  benefit,  Selim,  in  the 
"  Bride  of  Abydos,"  and  yerry  Sneak.  In  the  month 
of  June  he  again  performed  at  the  Park,  appearing  for 
his  benefit  as  Pescara,  in  the  "  Apostate,"  —  a  charac- 
ter written  expressly  for  him  by  Sheil,  and  which  he 
had  at  first  declined.  The  elder  Conway  represented 
Hemeya  on  this  occasion. 

Mr.  Gould,  in  "The  Tragedian,"  says  of  the  per- 
formance :  "  Certainly  in  the  personation  of  Pescara 
Booth  drew  off  some  of  that  spirit  which  filled  his  lago, 
adulterated  it  with  Shiel,  and  offered  it  with  great 
acceptance  to  the  rank  palate  of  a  popular  audience, — 


76 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


1  Darkening  his  power  to  lend  base  subjects  light.' 
Yet  the  flashing  and  magnetic  eye  ;  the  crisp,  resonant, 
and  changeful  tones ;  the  natural  attitudes  of  easy 
power ;  the  lithe  strength  in  action,  always  character- 
istic of  Booth,  —  lent  their  wonted  charm  to  this  per- 
formance also,  and  made  Pescara  yield  a  transitory 
delight." 

In  1828  he  consented  to  undertake  the  stage  man- 
agement of  the  Camp  Street  Theatre,  New  Orleans, 
under  the  lesseeship  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Caldwell. 
He  played  Richard  III.  for  sixteen  nights  to  densely 
crowded  houses.  During  his  leisure  hours  he  had  per- 
fected himself  in  several  French  dramas,  playing,  among 
other  parts,  Fdiel  in  "  Gabrielle  De  Vergy,"  TancrcJ, 
Shakspere  in  "  Shakspere  Amoureux  " ;  and  being  a 
proficient  in  the  French  language,  he  was  solicited  by 
Mr.  Davis,  of  the  Theatre  d'Orl£ans,  to  play  Orestes,  in 
Racine's  tragedy  of  "  Andromaque."  His  accentuation 
was  so  perfect,  and  every  peculiarity  of  French  acting 
was  so  minutely  observed  by  him,  that  the  astonishment 
and  delight  were  universal.  At  the  close  of  the  perform- 
ance he  was  loudly  called  for,  and  cries  of  "  Talma  ! 
Talma  !  "  saluted  him,  amid  every  sound  of  applause 
and  approbation. 

His  copy  of  the  play  of  "  Andromaque  "  is  profusely 
marked  with  stage  directions,  and  is  accentuated  in  his 
own  handwriting.  A  note  of  reference  is  made  to  the 
fact  that  "  the  role  of  Oreste  cost  the  life  of  the  cele- 
brated actor  Montfleuri,  who  enacted  it  with  such  force 
that  he  exhausted  his  powers." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  bill  of  Mr.  Booth's 
performance :  — 


77 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

THEATRE    D'ORL£ANS. 
MR.   BOOTH! 

AujouM'hui  Mardi,  19  Fevrier,  1828. 
Une  representation 

D'ANDROMAQUE, 

Tragedie  en  5  actes  et  en  vers  de  Racine,  dans  laquelle 
M.  Booth  jouera  le  role  d'Oreste. 

DISTRIBUTION  : 

Oreste,  fils  d'Agamemnon M.  Booth. 

Pyrrhus,  fils  d'Achille,  roi  d'Epirc M.  Leblanc. 

Pylade,  ami  d'Oreste Tabary. 

Phoenix,  gouverneur  de  Pyrrhus Rochefort. 

Andromaquc,  V've  d'Hector Mme.  CholeL 

Hcrmione "      Clozel. 

C16one,  confidente  d'Andromaque "      Placide. 

Cephise,  confidente  d'Hermione "      Bolzd. 


"  L'administration  ayant  pense"  que  les  talens  de  M.  Booth, 
celebre  tragedien  Anglais,  seraient  agreables  au  public,  dont 
elle  s'empressera  toujours  de  prevenir  les  desirs,  a  engage  cet 
artiste  a  jouer,  avant  son  depart  de  cette  ville,  le  role  d'Oreste 
dans  la  belle  tragedie  d'Andromaque  de  Racine.  Mme.  Cholet 
a  bien  voulu  se  charger  du  role  difficile  d'Andromaque  pour  ne 
pas  faire  manquer  cette  representation." 

A  New  Orleans  paper  said :  "  A  spectacle  of  deep 
interest  —  one  as  novel  as  it  was  pleasing  —  was  of- 
fered last  Tuesday  night  in  the  Orleans  Theatre,  to  the 
lovers  of  dramatic  talents.  Yielding  to  the  solicitations 
of  several  gentlemen  of  this  city,  Mr.  Booth  consented 
to  present  himself  before  a  French  audience  in  the  part 
of  Orestes.  This  effort,  perilous  in  the  extreme,  and 
which  nothing  but  a  wish  to  give  to  Frenchmen  an  op- 


78  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

portunity  of  judging  fairly  of  what  is  termed  the  Eng- 
lish style  of  tragic  acting  could  have  urged  Mr.  Booth  to 
risk,  has  been  crowned  with  the  most  flattering  success. 
The  ever-increasing  interest  excited  by  the  warmth  of 
his  feelings,  the  earnestness  of  his  manner,  and  the  im- 
petuous ardor  of  his  delivery,  and,  above  all,  whenever 
passion  rose  high,  when  the  furies  goaded  Orestes  to 
crimes,  criticism  was  merged  in  admiration,  and  with 
one  voice  all  wondered  that  a  stranger  should  thus  feel 
and  express  all  the  beauties  of  Racine." 

Mr.  Davis  offered  him  three  hundred  dollars  per 
night  for  a  period  of  twelve  nights,  but  prior  engage- 
ments would  not  allow  him  to  remain  for  so  long  a 
term.  An  arrangement  was  however  effected  for  a  rep- 
etition of  "  Andromaque  "  on  Thursday,  2ist.  The  an- 
nouncement is  taken  from  the  New  Orleans  Courier 
of  that  date  :  —  ^ 

"  Mr.  Booth,  highly  gratified  for  the  manner  in  which 
he  was  received  by  the  audience  of  the  Orleans  The- 
atre, has  yielded  to  the  request  of  the  administration, 
that  he  would  again  play  the  part  of  Orestes  before  his 
departure,  in  order  to  afford  those  who  could  not  pro- 
cure boxes  for  the  first  representation  an  opportunity  of 
witnessing  his  performance. 

Mr.  Booth's  Second  Appearance. 

ANDROMAQUE ; 

To  be  followed  by 

THE   WATER  PORTER'S  FAMILY, 
by  Scribe." 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


79 


He  then  proceeded  to  Natchez  and  Nashville,  and 
afterward  passed  a  week  with  General  Jackson  at  the 
Hermitage,  where  the  time  was  pleasantly  spent  in 
congenial  society,  varied  with  readings  from  Shakspere 
and  the  poets.  He  next  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
played  a  very  lucrative  engagement. 

In  1831  he  engaged  to  perform  at  the  Tremont  The- 
atre, Boston,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Dana,  who 
was  evidently  unaccustomed  to  theatrical  business,  as 
the  careless  arrangement  of  his  affairs  indicated.  He 
frequently  engaged  stars  to  perform  a  similar  character 
on  the  same  evening,  and  in  this  manner  Mr.  Booth 
and  Mr.  Hamblin  both  arrived  according  to  their  sepa- 
rate agreements,  each  claiming  the  house.  The  former, 
being  the  more  attractive,  was  selected,  and  Mr.  Ham- 
blin received  a  hundred  dollars  per  night,  remaining  in 
town  the  specified  period  of  his  engagement. 

In  speaking  of  the  beautiful  reading  of  Mr.  Booth, 
the  author  of  "  The  Actor  "  makes  the  following  com- 
ment :  — 

"We  will  here  record  an  incident  related  to  the 
writer  by  the  late  Mr.  Simmons,  whose  lectures  on  elo- 
cution and  dramatic  poetry  are  well  remembered  by 
the  public.  After  witnessing  one  of  Mr.  Booth's  splen- 
did efforts  in  Boston,  he  introduced  himself  to  Mr. 
Booth,  and  acknowledged  the  pleasure  he  had  derived 
from  listening  to  his  beautiful  readings,  and  requested 
that  they  might  read  together. 

"  Accordingly  a  chapter  was  selected  from  the  Bible, 
'  and  never?  said  the  gifted  lecturer,  '  was  I  before  so 
struck  with  tiie  eloquence,  beauty,  and  power  of  tlie  pas- 


8o  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

sages  read  by  the  great  actor.  His  fine  features  glowed 
with  the  fire  of  genius  as  he  poured  out  his  rich,  melodi- 
ous tones,  apparently  completely  absorbed  by  the  subject. 
Late  as  it  was,  I  could  have  sat  the  night  through  listen- 
ing to  eloquence  till  then  unheard,  and  of  which  before  I 
had  no  conception.1  " 

Returning  to  Baltimore,  Mr.  Booth  met  his  old  friend, 
Thomas  Flynn,  who  had  recently  arrived  from  England. 
Mr.  Flynn  had  arranged  to  open  the  Annapolis  Theatre, 
then  in  course  of  erection,  and  proposed  to  him  to  play 
an  engagement  there,  offering  a  clear  third  of  each 
night's  receipts.  In  due  time  Mr.  Booth  proceeded  to 
Annapolis;  but  instead  of  taking  the  usual  mode  of 
conveyance,  he  went  in  a  wood-sloop,  and  did  not 
arrive  until  a  week  after  the  time  announced.  The 
engagement  proved  a  profitable  one,  and  the  theatre 
was  nightly  filled  by  the  most  fashionable  people. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1831,  he  accepted  an 
offer  from  Mr.  Simpson  to  act  two  nights  with  Mr. 
Forrest  at  the  Park  Theatre,  New  York.  On  the  first 
occasion  Booth  performed  Pierre,  in  "Venice  Pre- 
served," and  Forrest  Jaffier ;  the  second  night  Booth 
acted  Othello,  and  Forrest  lago,  —  the  theatre  being 
completely  crowded  to  witness  the  great  favorites  in 
the  two  productions.  Mr.  Booth  frequently  expressed 
his  admiration  of  Mr.  Forrest's  rendition  of  both  Othello 
and  lago. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Booth  had  obtained  the  lease  of 
the  Adelphi  Theatre,  Baltimore,  and  had  engaged  Mr. 
Flynn  as  his  acting  manager.  He  had  designed  open- 
ing it  early  in  September,  1831  ;  but  as  the  building  had 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  gr 

been  undergoing  extensive  repairs,  and  was  still  in  an 
unfinished  state,  Mr.  Booth  rented  the  Holliday  Street 
Theatre  until  his  own  was  completed.  The  princi- 
pal members  of  his  company  were  Messrs.  Flynn, 
Cooper,  Duff,  Warren,  Roberts,  Finn,  Mrs.  Duff,  and 
Mrs.  Flynn. 

During  the  season  Charles  Kean  made  his  d£but 
before  a  Baltimore  audience  as  Richard  III.  "  Ham- 
let "  was  produced  with  the  following  powerful  cast,  Mr. 
Booth  accepting  the  part  of  Second  Actor :  — 

Hamlet Mr.'  C.  Kean. 

Ghost Mr.  Duff. 

Polonius Mr.  Warren. 

Laertes Mr.  Archer. 

King Mr.  Isherwood. 

Horatio Mr.  Hazard. 

Osric Mr.  J.  Sefton. 

First  Grave-Digger Mr.  Flynn. 

Second  Grave-Digger Mr.  Mercer. 

First  Actor Mr.  McKinney. 

Second  Actor Mr.  Booth. 

Ophelia Mrs.  Flynn. 

Queen Mrs.  Duff. 

"  Booth  gave  the  actor's  speech  with  great  effect. 
The  audience  rose  en  masse,  and  cheered  him  to  the 
echo,  as  much  for  the  beauty  of  its  delivery  as  the 
modesty  which  induced  him  to  select  a  subordinate 
character,  thus  bringing  into  effect  the  entire  strength 
of  his  company,  and  extending  every  advantage  to  the 
distinguished  stranger." 

During  the  season,  which  was  a  very  prosperous 
one,  he  played  several  new  characters,  among  which 


82  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

were  Roderick  Dhu,  Selim,  Richard  II.,  Penruddock, 
Falkland,  in  the  "  Rivals,"  Hotspur,  and  Luke,  in 
"  Riches."  His  Luke  and  other  characters  are  thus 
criticised :  — 

"  His  representation  of  Luke  is  original  and  beautiful. 
The  assumption  of  the  lowly  penitent  after  a  course  of 
extravagance  and  folly  is  among  the  most  lifelike  scenes 
ever  portrayed  by  this  master  of  the  passions.  Who 
that  has  witnessed  his  representation  can  ever  forget 
his  hypocritical  plea  for  mercy  when  discovered  in  his 
treachery,  and  his  sudden,  tiger-like  spring  after  find- 
ing it  disregarded,  and  the  bold  transition  from  the 
fawning  suppliant  to  the  daring  ruffian,  defying,  even  in 
defeat,  his  injured  brother?  His  representation  of  this 
character  alone  would  stamp  him  superior  to  any  actor 
on  the  stage.  His  Reuben  Glenroy  is  also  much  ad- 
mired for  its  chaste  and  beautiful  performance.  In 
tender  passages,  the  mournful  and  touching  cadences 
of  his  voice  appeal  directly  to  the  heart ;  and  in  the 
representation  of  sterner  passages,  his  acting  approxi- 
mates to  the  sublime. 

"  As  Richard  the  Third,  Pescara,  Sir  dies  Over- 
reach, Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  Shylock,  and  lago,  he 
is  without  an  equal. 

"  His  fifth  act  of  lago  was^a  most  exquisite  portrayal 
of  character ;  although  Othello  in  this  scene  usually  en- 
grosses the  attention  of  the  audience,  and  lago  has  but 
few  lines  to  utter,  yet  with  Junius  Brutus  Booth  as  the 
crafty  villain,  cowed,  entrapped,  with  all  his  evil  pas- 
sions glowering  in  his  face,  we  have  seen  his  auditors 
fascinated  as  it  were  with  horror,  oblivious  of  all  other 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  83 

characters  on  the  stage,  and  seizing  the  first  pause  in 
the  action  of  the  scene  to  vent  their  feelings  in  raptur- 
ous applause.  The  secret  workings  of  logo's  mind 
flashed  in  those  powerful  eyes ;  the  face  reddened  with 
suppressed  rage,  then  turned  livid  with  hate ;  and  the 
bitter  intensity  with  which  he  expressed  the  lines,  — 

1  Demand  me  nothing  ;  what  you  know,  you  know : 
From  this  time  forth  I  never  will  speak  word,' 

was  marvellous. 

"  During  the  remainder  of  the  scene  his  countenance 
revealed  what  the  tongue  disdained  to  speak,  and  re- 
tained its  magnetic  influence  upon  the  beholders  until 
his  final  exit." 

John  Howard  Payne  thus  criticises  his  performance 
of  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,  in  the  play  of  the  "  Iron 
Chest "  :  — 

"  We  must  own  we  have  never  seen  either  that  char- 
acter, or  Booth  in  his  palmiest  days,  with  more  unmixed 
delight.  The  perturbations  of  a  spirit  generous  and 
grand  by  nature,  and  idolizing  popularity,  but  racked 
with  a  heavy  and  agonizing  and  damning  secret,  and 
jealously  and  unslumberingly  on  the  alert  for  symptoms 
of  its  being  suspected,  were  pictured  with  the  genius 
and  the  power  of  a  master.  So  was  the  whirlwind  of 
despair  at  the  withering  secret's  final  detection.  There 
was  variety  and  truth  in  the  artist's  enunciation  and 
attitudes  and  countenance,  and  these  qualities  were  car- 
ried even  to  the  expression  of  the  hands,  which,  could 
they  have  been  disjoined  from  that  of  the  rest  of  his 
person,  at  any  one  point  of  the  passion,  would  at  a 


84 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


glance  have  disclosed  to  an  instructed  eye  the  Her- 
cules in  his  art.  This  manual  eloquence  (if  we  may 
venture  such  a  phrase)  escapes  imitation,  even  in  paint- 
ing and  sculpture,  by  mediocrity,  but,  if  ever  studied,  as 
equally  precious  and  difficult  by  those  who  know  how 
to  excel.  Last  evening  Mr.  Booth  displayed  it  with 
surpassing  skill." 

Mr.  James  E.  Murdock,  in  his  very  entertaining  book, 
"  The  Stage,"  recently  published,  gives  a  graphic  ac- 
count of  his  first  appearance  with  Mr.  Booth.  He 
says :  — 

"  Of  all  the  men  with  whom  my  professional  duties 
made  me  acquainted,  no  one,  perhaps,  impressed  me 
so  strongly  as  the  elder  Booth.  There  was  something 
peculiar  about  him  that  acted  like  a  charm,  and  com- 
manded the  respect  and  won  the  esteem  of  all  whose 
advances  he  encouraged;  but  he  was,  nevertheless, 
generally  undemonstrative  and  shy.  A  morbid  ten- 
dency of  feeling,  which  gave  rise  to  wild  and  defiant 
moods,  led  him  at  times  to  things  at  variance  with  the 
conventionalities  of  society,  and  entirely  opposed  to  his 
well-known  gentlemanly  character ;  and  these  eccen- 
tricities caused  coldness  and  reserve  both  with  himself 
and  his  friends.  But  when  the  '  cloud '  passed,  and  his 
true  nature  asserted  itself,  Booth  was  capable  of  winning 
the  love  of  many  and  the  esteem  of  all.  His  literary 
tastes  and  abilities  were  of  a  high  order,  while  his  men- 
tal qualities  were  remarkable  for  clearness  and  range. 
I  remember  the  first  time  I  was  brought  into  direct  con- 
tact with  the  magnetic  influence  by  which  he  ruled  the 
dramatic  scene  and  swayed  his  audience.  I  was  quite 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  8$ 

a  lad,  and  had  not  been  on  the  stage  more  than  a  year 
or  two  when  I  was  selected  to  play  Wilford  to  his  Sir 
Edward  Mortimer  for  the  first  time.  Booth's  face,  be- 
fore he  met  with  the  accident  which  disfigured  his  nose, 
was  of  surpassing  beauty,  and,  speaking  in  the  spirit  of 
enthusiasm,  to  my  mind's  eye  it  always  realized  the 
ideal  grandeur  represented  in  Hamlet's  lines  :  — 

1  See  what  a  grace  was  seated  on  this  brow  : 
Hyperion's  curls  ;  the  front  of  Jove  himself ; 
An  eye  like  Mars,  to  threaten  and  command.' 

Such  was  the  impression  made  on  my  youthful  mind  in 
gazing  for  the  first  time  on  Booth's  features  when 
dressed  for  Sir  Edward  Mortimer.  The  sweetness  of 
a  settled  melancholy  was  in  his  face,  while  his  large, 
lustrous  eye  was  full  of  gentle  tenderness.  But  I  was 
destined  to  see  that  face  and  eye  in  a  different  light, 
and  to  realize  a  very  different  feeling  from  that  of  quiet 
admiration. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  rehearsal  I  found  the  great 
tragedian  pleasant  and  communicative,  and  as  I  was 
anxious  to  learn  the  business  of  the  scene  and  to  exe- 
cute it  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  superior,  I  was  attentive 
and  deeply  interested.  My  readers  will  call  to  mind 
the  relations  of  Sir  Edward  Mortimer  and  his  young 
secretary.  The  latter  was  taken  from  an  inferior  posi- 
tion in  life  and  elevated  to  the  confidence  and  friend- 
ship of  his  patron,  over  whom  hung  —  that  fascination 
to  the  young — a  profound  mystery.  With  that  mystery 
was  connected  an  iron  chest  which  Sir  Edward  was 
known  to  visit  often,  and  always  alone,  returning  from 


86  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

such  visits  with  evident  marks  of  the  deepest  agita- 
tion. 

"  One  day  Wilford,  being  engaged  in  the  secluded 
apartment  where  the  chest  was  kept,  with  surprise 
observed  that  the  key  was  in  the  lock.  After  overcom- 
ing honest  scruples  in  a  long  struggle  with  fatal  curi- 
osity, he  knelt  before  the  mysterious  chest  and  turned 
the  key ;  then  hesitating  for  a  moment  he  searched  the 
apartment  in  order  to  be  satisfied  that  he  was  secure 
from  observation.  Now  the  stage  business  Mr.  Booth 
was  so  particular  in  teaching  me  was  this :  I  was  en- 
joined to  take  time,  and  after  a  careful  survey  of  the 
premises  to  kneel  on  one  knee,  place  my  left  hand  on 
the  lid  of  the  chest,  then,  gently  raising  it,  to  hold  it 
back,  and,  looking  closely  in,  to  place  my  right  hand  on 
the  papers  which  it  contained,  turning  them  over  as  if 
seeking  for  something  hidden  beneath.  The  strictest  in- 
junction was  given  to  pay  no  attention  to  what  was  to 
follow  on  the  part  of  Sir  Edward,  no  matter  how  long 
the  suspense  might  last,  but  when  I  felt  his  hand  upon 
my  shoulder  to  turn  abruptly,  letting  the  lid  of  the  chest 
fall  with  a  slam,  and,  still  on  my  knee,  hold  a  firm  atti- 
tude till  I  was  warned,  by  a  sudden  pressure  of  Mr. 
Booth's  hand,  to  rise  to  my  feet  and  stand  before  him. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  performance  I  was  nervous  and 
ill  at  ease  from  the  want  of  a  firm  and  assured  hold 
upon  the  words  of  my  part,  which  I  had  mastered  at 
short  notice  and  with  more  attention  to  the  sense  than 
to  special  expression.  However  I  contrived  to  keep 
up  with  the  action  of  the  play.  At  length  I  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  the  mysterious  chest.  I  was 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  g? 

almost  breathless  with  excitement  and  from  anxiety 
consequent  on  my  strong  desire  to  execute  Mr.  Booth's 
orders  to  the  very  letter.  I  had  proceeded  so  far  as  to 
open  the  chest,  and  stooping  over  the  papers  awaited 
trembling  on  my  knee  the  appointed  signal  for  action. 
The  time  seemed  an  eternity,  but  it  came  at  last.  The 
heavy  hand  fell  on  my  shoulder.  I  turned,  and  there, 
with  the  pistol  held  to  my  head,  stood  Booth  glaring 
like  an  infuriated  demon.  Then  for  the  first  time  I 
comprehended  the  reality  of  acting.  The  fury  of  that 
passion- flamed  face  and  the  magnetism  of  the  rigid 
clutch  upon  my  arm  paralyzed  my  muscles,  while  the 
scintillating  gleam  of  the  terrible  eyes,  like  the  green 
and  red  flashes  of  an  enraged  serpent,  fascinated  and 
fixed  me  spell-bound  to  the  spot.  A  sudden  revulsion 
of  feeling  caused  me  to  spring  from  my  knees,  but, 
bewildered  with  fright,  and  a  choking  sensation  of  un- 
defined dread,  I  fell  heavily  to  the  stage,  tripping  Mr. 
Booth,  who  still  clutched  my  shoulder.  I  brought  him 
down  with  me,  and  for  a  moment  we  lay  prostrate. 
But  suddenly  recovering  himself  he  sprang  to  his  feet, 
with  almost  superhuman  strength  dragging  me  up,  qs  I 
clung  to  his  arm  in  terror.  Shaking  himself  free  of  my 
grasp,  I  sank  down  again,  stunned  and  helpless.  I  was 
aroused  to  consciousness,  "however,  by  a  voice  calling 
me  in  suppressed  accents  to  rise,  and  then  became 
aware  that  Mr.  Booth  was  kneeling  at  my  side.  He 
helped  me  to  my  feet,  whispering  in  my  ear  a  few  en- 
couraging words,  and  then  dexterously  managed  in 
spite  of  the  accident,  and  my  total  inability  to  speak, 
to  continue  the  scene  to  its  close. 


88  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

"  Thus  was  I,  an  unfortunate  tyro,  saved  from  disgrace 
by  the  coolness  and  kindness  of  one  who  had  every 
reason  to  be  moved  by  a  very  different  state  of  mind  ; 
for  it  was  evident  that,  but  for  the  actor's  readiness 
and  skill  in  improvising  the  business  of  the  stage,  one 
of  the  most  important  and  interesting  scenes  of  the 
play  would  have  proved  a  mortifying  failure.  The 
kindness  of  the  act  was  its  own  reward,  for  my  present 
recollection  is  that  the  audience  never  evinced  the 
slightest  indication  of  the  presence  of  a  disturbing 
element,  but  on  the  contrary  gave  evidence  of  their 
satisfaction  by  applause  at  the  critical  moment  to 
which  I  have  alluded.  In  more  than  one  way  Booth 
was  a  true  poetic  genius  and  dramatic  artist.  He  al- 
ways seemed  to  grasp  the  ideal  beauty  and  intellectual 
power  of  the  poet's  thought,  and  worked  out  from  the 
author's  language  the  full  force  of  the  emotion  or 
passion  which  was  the  root  of  its  mental  growth.  Thus 
mastering  the  intent  and  purpose  of  the  words,  he  in- 
vested their  utterance  with  the  graceful  foliage  or  the 
more  vigorous  strength  of  branch  and  limb  from  the 
power  of  his  varied  and  wonderful  forms  of  expression. 
This  he  seemed  to  do  apparently  with  so  much  real 
enjoyment  of  the  poet's  innermost  feelings  that  the 
fervor  of  a  gratified  sense  seized  upon  his  hearers,  and 
established  a  congenial  and  sympathetic  communion 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  actor." 

In  January,  1832,  Mr.  Booth  opened  at  the  Chestnut 
Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  in  "  Sertorius,"  a  new  play 
written  by  the  eminent  lawyer,  David  Paul  Brown. 
This  performance  is  spoken  of  as  -being  exquisitely 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


89 


beautiful,  and  the  tragedy  one  of  great  interest  and 
sublimity.  At  the  termination  of  this  engagement  he 
visited  professionally  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  Louisville, 
and  Cincinnati.  In  1 833  the  following  letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  his  father.  His  letters  generally  present  a 
curious  combination  of  theology,  metaphysics,  hygiene, 
and  farming. 

FRIDAY  EVE. 

DEAR  FATHER,  —  The  weather  was  so  bad  that  the 
managers  closed  the  house  on  Wednesday  evening.  I 
had  to  play  on  Thursday,  in  lieu  of  it,  and  again  to- 
night. As  Joe  will  want  "  Fanny "  to  finish  the 
ploughing,  I  send  her  home.  Let  the  gentleman  who 
bears  this  have  "  Peacock  "  to  ride  back  to  Baltimore. 
Let  Joe  sow  the  timothy  in  the  meadow.  Tell  Junius 
not  to  go  opossum  hunting,  or  setting  rabbit-traps,  but 
to  let  the  poor  devils  live.  Cruelty  is  the  offspring  of 
idleness  of  mind  and  beastly  ignorance,  and,  in  children, 
should  be  repressed  and  not  encouraged,  as  is  too  often 
the  case,  by  unthinking  beings  who  surround  them.  A 
thief,  who  takes  property  from  another,  has  it  in  his 
power,  should  he  repent,  to  make  a  restoration;  but 
the  robber  of  life  never  can  give  back  what  he  has 
wantonly  and  sacrilegiously  taken  from  beings  perhaps 
innocent,  and  equally  capable  of  enjoying  pleasure  or 
suffering  torture  with  himself.  The  ideas  of  Pythagoras 
I  have  adopted ;  and  as  respects  our  accountability  to 
animals  hereafter,  nothing  that  man  can  preach  can 
make  me  believe  to  the  contrary.  "  Every  death  its 
own  avenger  breeds."  Enough  of  this.  I  think  there 
is  some  parsnip-seed  hanging  in  a  paper,  by  the  look- 


90  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

ing-glass,  in  the  parlor.  Let  Joe  sow  some,  on  manure, 
in  small  trenches;  in  the  garden,  —  say  three  or  four 
rows. 

Read  the  wondrous  tale  of  "Alroy,"  by  D'Israeli. 
He  was,  in  the  twelfth  century,  the  Jewish  Messiah, 
and,  but  for  a  woman,  the  daughter  of  a  robber's 
daughter,  would  have  given  us,  perhaps,  another  re- 
ligion, as  all  were  obliged,  by  the  theocracy,  who  were 
his  ministers  and  supporters,  to  embrace  the  Hebrew 
faith,  or  die.  Junius  is  a  good  boy,  and  will  make  a 
scholar  of  no  mean  capacity.  I  hope  you  enjoy  health, 
and  take  my  theory  founded  on  positive  experience,  as 
respects  going  to  sleep.  Rise  early,  walk,  or  use  some 
exercise  in  the  open  air,  and,  when  going  to  bed,  drink 
a  warm  liquid,  —  either  weak  grog,  gruel,  or  even 
water;  drink  nearly  or  quite  a  pint  at  one  draught. 
Lie  down  directly,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  you  will  sink 
into  a  comfortable  lethargy.  Coffee  and  tea,  however, 
must  be  avoided,  as  they  prevent  sleep.  A  slice  of 
bread-and-butter,  and  an  onion  or  lettuce  for  supper, 
prior  to  this  potation,  is  good,  —  much  opium,  and 
of  a  harmless  quantity,  being  contained  in  the  latter 
vegetable. 

God  bless  you.     I  hope  soon  to  see  you  again. 
Your  affectionate  son, 

J.  B.  BOOTH. 

Mr.  Booth  entered  into  an  engagement  with  Mr. 
Hamblin,  to  play  three  nights  a  week  for  the  period  of 
a  year.  The  Richmond  Theatre  was  taken  for  this 
purpose,  and  a  part  of  the  company  proceeded  in  a 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  ^ 

stage-coach  to  Baltimore.  On  the  road  to  Belair  the 
stage  broke  down,  and  the  party,  including  Miss  Vin- 
cent, Messrs.  Hamblin,  Flynn,  Phillips,  and  others, 
were  compelled  to  remain  over  night  at  the  Farm. 
They  walked  a  long  distance  to  the  cottage,  and  evi- 
dently disturbed  the  monotony  of  forest  life,  for  the 
servants  who  had  grown  gray  on  the  place  were  wont 
to  tell  of  the  merry  players  who,  many  years  ago,  made 
such  an  unceremonious  visit.  The  stillness  of  the 
woods  soon  became  oppressive  to  the  jovial  guests, 
while  to  the  master  of  these  solitudes  the  faintest  sound 
of  insect,  breeze,  or  brook,  was  full  of  a  joyous  mystery, 
and  he  manifested  surprise  when  asked  by  one  of  the 
party,  "  Booth,  how  can  you  exist  in  such  a  wilder- 
ness ?  " 

On  the  following  afternoon  the  company  proceeded 
to  Baltimore,  and,  arriving  in  Richmond,  opened  to  a 
crowded  house.  Mr.  Booth  became  the  subject  of 
a  newspaper  controversy,  arising  from  his  refusal  to 
answer  the  call  of  the  audience  at  the  fall  of  the  cur- 
tain. On  the  fourth  night  of  his  engagement  he 
received  intelligence  of  the  dangerous  illness  of  one  of 
his  children,  and  abruptly  left  the  city  without  assigning 
the  reason  for  his  departure.  The  child  lived  only  a 
short  time  after  his  arrival,  and  was  buried  in  the  little 
graveyard  on  the  Farm.  Mr.  Booth  then  proceeded  to 
Baltimore  with  the  intention  of  completing  his  engage- 
ment in  Richmond,  but  was  there  informed  that  the 
theatre  was  closed,  and  that  Mr.  Hamblin  had  gone  to 
New  York.  Being  detained  in  Baltimore  for  several  days 
by  the  snow,  a  letter  arrived  from  Belair  requesting  his 


C)2  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

immediate  return  to  the  sick-bed  of  another  of  his 
children.  He  arrived  only  in  time  to  witness  her 
death.  The  loss  of  this  child  was  the  culmination  of 
his  sorrow,  for  his  mind  became  entirely  unsettled  for 
a  time  and  a  painful  illness  followed. 

While  the  bereaved  mother  braced  every  nerve  to 
nurse  her  remaining  children,  and  the  father  had  quite 
succumbed  to  his  affliction,  Mr.  Hamblin,  unaware 
how  grief  had  settled  over  the  little  farm,  and  unable 
by  the  heavy  snow-storms  to  effect  any  communication 
with  that  retired  place,  had  brought  a  lawsuit  against 
Mr.  Booth  for  breaking  his  engagement.  His  father, 
Richard  Booth,  determined  at  this  crisis  to  stop  pro- 
ceedings by  going  at  once  to  Philadelphia.  Distressed 
and  infirm  as  the  old  gentleman  was,  he  set  out  upon 
the  tedious  journey  with  alacrity,  not  heeding  the  in- 
clement weather.  Old  Joe  accompanied  him  as  pro- 
tector and  waiting-man  ;  such  confidence  was  placed  in 
the  integrity  of  this  slave  for  life  by  his  legal  owner,  that 
consent  was  readily  given  for  him  to  accompany  his 
master ;  the  fact  being  well  known  to  all  parties  that 
the  slave  could  assert  his  freedom  as  soon  as  he 
touched  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  With  laudable  pride 
the  old  man  used  to  tell  how  he  repaid  his  owner's 
confidence  by  returning  home.  He  died  in  slavery,  — 
a  true-hearted,  faithful,  good  old  man,  enjoying  the 
respect  of  all  who  knew  him ;  he  never  murmured  at 
his  own  bondage,  but  with  his  small  earnings  he  bought 
the  freedom  of  his  wife,  so  that  of  their  numerous 
family  only  four  of  her  children  were  born  free,  the 
others  being  slaves  to  his  wife's  master  until  the  age  of 
twenty- four. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


93 


The  threatened  lawsuit  was  amicably  adjusted,  when, 
on  recovery  from  a  severe  illness,  Mr.  Booth  consented 
to  perform  three  nights  a  week  during  a  period  of  three 
months,  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  New  York.  This 
theatre  at  that  time  was  in  its  palmy  days  under  Mr. 
Hamblin's  management,  and  was  conducted  in  a  man- 
ner superior  to  the  Park.  Mr.  Booth  opened  with 
"  Richard  III."  to  a  house  yielding  thirteen  hundred 
dollars.  He  engaged  to  play  on  the  intervening 
nights  at  the  Arch  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mr.  Duffy,  for  the  space  of  one 
month,  Mr.  Booth  playing  alternately  in  the  two  cities 
and  travelling  the  intermediate  distance  by  stage- 
coach. The  last  night  of  this  engagement  in  Phila- 
delphia he  acted  Oroonoko,  and  as  he  was  hurrying 
through  the  performance  he  fancied  some  dissatisfac- 
tion was  expressed  by  the  audience.  He  arose,  after 
killing  himself,  and  walking  to  the  footlights  exclaimed, 
"  I  '11  serve  you  as  General  Jackson  did  :  I  '11  veto  you." 
At  this  period  the  celebrated  veto  messages  of  General 
Jackson  were  creating  great  excitement  in  political 
circles. 

Mr.  Booth  went  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans, 
thence  to  Mobile,  and  afterward  through  the  Western 
cities.  During  this  tour  the  calamity  which  seemed  to 
increase  in  strength  and  frequency  with  maturer  years, 
assumed  many  singular  phases.  In  the  records  of  his 
youth,  when  his  profession  held  every  incentive  to 
ambition,  energy,  and  indefatigable  labor,  —  when  his 
habits  were  most  temperate  and  abstemious,  —  we  oc- 
casionally find  those  slight  aberrations  of  mind  which 


94 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


mark  that  exquisite  turning-point  between  genius  and 
madness.  To  those  accustomed  to  the  intense  excita- 
bility of  peculiar  temperaments,  who  see  how  the  brain 
of  the  actor  is  wrought  upon  by  the  assumption  of  har- 
rowing, though  fictitious  scenes,  and  who  feel  how 
frequently  the  delineator  of  the  passions  thinks,  dreams, 
exists  in  a  sphere  of  ideality,  it  is  neither  strange  nor 
difficult  to  comprehend  how  such  minds  are  over- 
thrown by  the  reaction,  and  oftentimes  ruined  utterly ; 

"  Like  sweet  bells  jangled,  out  of  tune  and  harsh." 

Thus  from  early  youth  his  children  learned  from 
their  mother,  the  devoted  and  unwearying  nurse  of 
him  who  endured  these  periodical  tortures  of  mind, 
to  regard  these  seasons  of  abstraction  with  sad  and 
reverent  forbearance. 

Mr.  Booth,  at  the  conclusion  of  this  tour,  com- 
menced an  engagement  in  New  York  on  the  2Qth  of 
August,  1836,  at  the  National  Theatre,  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Leonard  and  Church  Streets,  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Flynn.  The  first  night  he  performed 
Shylock,  when  the  receipts  were  sixteen  hundred  dol- 
lars ;  and  he  played  eight  nights  to  houses  almost 
equally  crowded.  The  intellect  and  fashion  of  the  city 
nightly  filled  the  theatre.  He  visited  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore,  and  in  October  sailed  with  his  family  for 
Europe. 

He  was  engaged  on  arrival  to  play  three  nights  at 
Drury  Lane  Theatre  for  twenty-five  pounds  a  night, 
opening  as  Richard.  He  played  lago  the  second 
evening,  and  repeated  Richard  on  the  third.  He  after- 


y  ^> 


\      NT 

ifr  X 


5^^    ;*£r  v£, 


*-^<* 


•—  ^ 


••«* 


+-ts**^fj£ 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


95 


ward  played  a  brief  engagement  at  the  Surrey  Theatre, 
going  thence  to  Sadlers  Wells. 

While  performing  in  Birmingham  he  received  news 
of  the  death  of  a  favorite  son,  Henry  Byron  Booth, 
whom  he  had  left  with  his  family  in  London.  The 
grave  of  this  son  is  in  the  churchyard  at  Pentonville 
(near  that  of  Grimaldi).  On  the  stone  erected  by  Mr. 
Booth  are  the  beautiful  lines  taken  from  Southey's 
"Doctor,"  — 

"  Oh,  even  in  spite  of  death,  yet  still  my  choice, 
Oft  with  the  inward,  all-beholding  eye, 
I  think  I  see  thee,  and  I  hear  thy  voice." 

The  following  letter  refers  to  this  bereavement :  — 

PENTONVILLE,  Jan.  28,  1837. 

DEAR  FATHER,  —  We  have  at  last  cause,  and  severe 
it  is,  to  regret  coming  to  England.  I  have  delayed 
writing  till  time  had  somewhat  softened  the  horror  of 
the  event.  Our  dear  little  Henry  is  dead  !  He  caught 
the  small-pox,  and  it  proved  fatal ;  he  has  been  buried 
about  three  weeks,  in  the  Chapel  ground,  close  by. 
Think  what  his  loss  has  been  to  us,  —  so  proud  as  I 
was  of  him  above  all  others.  The  infernal  disease  has 
placed  Hagar  [a  slave]  in  the  hospital.  Edwin  and 
the  baby*  were  inoculated  and  are  getting  well.  I 

*  The  "  baby  "  alluded  to  in  this  letter  was  not  named  until  she  was 
nearly  two  years  old,  it  being  a  matter  of  discussion  whether  to  call  her 
after  the  accomplished  young  Sydney  Cowell  (Mrs.  Bateman),  who  was 
a  great  favorite  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth,  or  Ayesha,  in  recollection  of 
one  of  Mahomet's  wives.  Finally  the  decision  was  made  by  Mr.  Booth 
writing  to  his  wife,  —  "  Call  the  little  one  Asia  in  remembrance  of  that 


96  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

shall  play  a  few  nights  more  in  London,  and  at  Edin- 
burgh before  I  return.  Forrest  won't  play  any  more,  — 
at  least  he  says  so  now.  Hamblin  is  here  ;  so  are  Bar- 
rett of  Boston,  Ternan  of  Philadelphia,  and  Rice ;  the 
only  one,  it  appears,  who  has  really  bettered  his  for- 
tunes in  London  is  he.  Jim  Crow,  one  would  have 
thought,  the  Cockneys  could  not  understand,  but  con- 
trary to  all  calculation  it  is  the  mania  amongst  them. 

Hoping  you  are  in  health,  and  may  long  continue 
so,  is  the  prayer  of 

Your  affectionate  son, 

J.  B.  BOOTH. 

After  this  melancholy  loss  he  started  with  his  family 
for  America  on  the  ship  "  Ontario."  On  his  arrival  in 
New  York,  he  acted  at  the  Bowery  Theatre  on  the  night 
of  the  4th  of  July,  1837,  receiving  two  hundred  dol- 
lars for  the  performance,  which  closed  the  season.  In 
the  fall  of  the  year  he  fulfilled  an  engagement  at  the 
Olympic  in-  New  York,  and  on  the  third  night  he  ap- 
peared as  Richard  III.,  W.  R.  Blake  enacting  Rich- 
mond, Mrs.  Blake  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  Master  Louis 
Blake  the  Duke  of  York.  The  theatre  was  brilliantly 
illuminated  in  commemoration  of  the  evacuation  of 
New  York  by  the  British. 

Mr.  Booth  was  engaged  to  perform  in  New  York  at 
the  Bowery  on  the  i8th  of  February,  1838,  but  on  ar- 
riving in  the  city  was  astonished  to  find  the  building  in 

country  where  God  first  walked  with  man,  and  Frigga,  because  she 
came  to  us  on  Friday,  which  day  is  consecrated  to  the  Northern 
Venus." 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


97 


ruins.  A  benefit  was  given  at  the  Park  for  the  aid  of 
the  sufferers  by  the  conflagration,  and  he  volunteered 
to  act  on  the  occasion.  At  the  rise  of  the  curtain  he 
was  missing,  and  Mr.  Flynn  finally  discovered  him  at 
a  fire  in  William 'Street,  laboring  at  an  engine,  in  the 
endeavor,  as  he  said,  "  to  save  people's  property  from 
destruction." 

He  subsequently  visited  the  South  on  a  professional 
tour,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Thomas  Flynn.  They  em- 
barked in  the  steamer  "Neptune."  Mr.  Booth  was 
observed  to  be  very  melancholy  on  the  voyage,  and 
talked  frequently  of  Conway,  who,  in  a  fit  of  depres- 
sion, had  committed  suicide  by  jumping  into  the  sea. 
When  the  vessel  neared  the  place  where  the  unfortu- 
nate actor  had  perished,  he  came  hurriedly  on  deck, 
saying  he  had  a  message  for  Conway,  and  leaped  into 
the  ocean.  A  boat  was  immediately  lowered,  and  with 
difficulty  he  was  rescued  from  a  watery  grave.  After 
he  was  safe  in  the  boat,  his  first  words,  according  to 
Mr.  Flynn 's  report,  were,  "  I  say,  Tom,  look  out : 
you  're  a  heavy  man,  —  be  steady ;  if  the  boat  upsets 
we  '11  all  be  drowned." 

It  was  during  this  Charleston  trip  that  his  nose  was 
broken,  spoiling  the  beauty  of  his  countenance,  and 
giving  to  his  harmonious  voice  a  nasal  tone. 

Mr.  Gould  thus  speaks  of  this  occurrence :  "  The 
accident  by  which  his  nose  was  broken,  spoiling  forever 
his  noble  profile,  threatened  for  a  time  the  more  seri- 
ous disaster  of  a  permanent  injury  to  his  voice.  Im- 
mediately on  recovery  he  began  to  play.  To  those 
who,  during  these  first  performances,  recalled  the  per- 


98 


THE   ELDER  BOOTH. 


feet  features  and  the  resonant  tones  of  former  years, 
the  sight  and  sound  were  indeed  pitiful.  The  head 
tones  were  scarcely  perceptible.  But  instead  of  hu- 
moring this  vocal  infirmity  he  spoke  with  all  the  old 
mastery  of  motive,  and  let  the  result  take  care  of  itself. 
By  this  persistent  method,  in  less  than  two  years  after 
the  accident  his  voice  had  completely  recovered  its 
original  scope,  variety,  and  power,  as  we  can  attest  by 
close,  solicitous,  and  comparative  observation." 

During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  the  elder  Booth 
passed  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  in  tlje  midst 
of  his  family,  occasionally  making  professional  tours 
with  a  careless  disregard  of  fame,  which  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  depressing  consciousness  of  the 
accident  which  had  marred  his  face  and  voice.  It  was, 
however,  a  marked  peculiarity  of  his  entire  career  that 
he  would  consent  to  perform  at  any  theatre  regardless 
of  its  pretensions,  and  was  equally  unconcerned  about 
the  costliness  or  grandeur  of  his  wardrobe,  so  long  as  it 
was  correct  in  point  of  fashion  and  of  date.  He  played 
annually  in  Boston  and  New  Orleans,  in  which  places 
he  was  an  established  favorite,  and,  having  removed 
his  residence  to  Baltimore,  made  periodical  visits  to  the 
Farm  during  the  oppressive  heat  of  summer. 

He  indulged  his  philanthropic  inclinations  unre- 
strainedly, and  the  particulars  of  some  charitable  visit 
or  donation  would  frequently  be  disclosed  to  the  fam- 
ily by  the  grateful  recipient. 

The  writer's  earliest  recollection  of  her  father,  when 
she  was  four  years  of  age,  is  seeing  him  upon  his  knees 
before  a  rough  sailor  who  had  asked  alms  at  the  door. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


99 


The  poor  fellow  had  a  bad  wound  on  his  leg  which  was 
suffering  from  neglect,  and  Mr.  Booth  brought  him  into 
the  house,  and  washed  and  bandaged  the  injured  limb 
with  the  tenderest  care. 

These  little  deeds  of  kindness  were  of  almost  daily 
occurrence.  He  thus  sought  to  impress  upon  the 
minds  of  his  children  the  lessons  of  humanity  to  man 
and  beast  more  by  his  own  acts  than  by  precept.  He 
delighted  to  seek  out  the  destitute  and  unfortunate,  and 
to  aid  them  by  his  sympathy  as  well  as  by  his  bounty. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  errands  of  mercy  that  the 
horse  thief,  Fontaine,  alias  Lovett,  was  pointed  out  to 
him.  Lovett  was  then  confined  in  the  Louisville  jail. 
It  was  remarked  that  he  had  no  means  of  obtaining 
counsel,  and  Mr.  Booth,  although  assured  that  his  case 
was  hopeless,  sent  him  a  lawyer  and  defrayed  the  ex- 
penses of  his  trial ;  for  which  kindness,  when  Lovett 
heard  of  it,  he  bequeathed  him  his  skull,  desiring  "  that 
it  should  be  given  after  his  execution  to  the  actor  Booth, 
with  the  request  that  he  would  use  it  on  the  stage  in 
'  Hamlet,'  and  think,  when  he  held  it  in  his  hands,  of 
the  gratitude  his  kindness  had  awakened." 

The  skull  was  accordingly  sent  to  his  residence  while 
he  was  absent  from  the  city,  but  Mrs.  Booth,  finding 
what  a  horrible  thing  had  been  left  in  her  house,  im- 
mediately returned  it  to  the  doctor  to  whom  it  had 
been  intrusted  for  preparation  and  delivery.  (In  1857 
the  doctor,  who  had  retained  the  skull,  sent  it  to 
Edwin  Booth,  who  used  it  in  the  graveyard  scene  in 
"  Hamlet "  on  several  occasions,  and  afterward  had 
it  buried.) 


100 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


In  the  year  1850  the  elder  Booth  played  several 
engagements  at  the  National  Theatre,  Chatham  Street, 
New  York.  At  this  time  the  Broadway  Theatre,  now 
demolished,  was  the  only  establishment  on  Broadway 
strictly  devoted  to  the  regular  drama.  A  misunder- 
standing having  occurred  between  Mr.  Marshall,  the 
lessee,  and  Mr.  Booth,  he  was  prevailed  upon  by  Mr. 
Purdy,  of  the  National,  to  accept  an  engagement  with 
him.  He  was  supported  by  John  R.  Scott,  H.  A. 
Perry,  and  a  superior  company.  The  house  was 
nightly  crowded  with  his  admirers.  Subsequently,  he 
made  his  last  appearance  in  New  York  at  this  theatre, 
on  the  ipth  of  September,  1851,  playing  Sky  lock  and 
Sir  Edward  Mortimer. 

In  Washington,  in  1850,  Mr.  Booth  performed 
JBrutus,  and  his  son  Edwin,  Titus.  The  author,  John 
Howard  Payne,  witnessed  the  performance.  In  Rich- 
mond, Va,,  shortly  afterward  the  same  play  was  repeated, 
father  and  son  assuming  the  same  characters.  In  the 
solemn  interview  between  them,  where  the  Roman 
Consul  is  condemning  his  son  to  an  ignominious  death, 
his  countenance  portrayed  an  agony  of  suffering,  and 
tears  streamed  from  his  eyes  as  he  took  the  head  of  his 
recreant  boy  to  his  bosom.  The  audience  was  breath- 
less from  intensity  of  feeling,  when  the  silence  was  sud- 
denly broken  by  an  exclamation  from  a  drunken  man 
in  the  gallery.  Mr.  Booth,  still  absorbed  in  the  part, 
raised  his  eyes  and,  gazing  fixedly  towards  the  gallery, 
said  sternly,  "  Beware  !  I  am  the  headsman,  I  am  the 
executioner."  The  effect  thus  produced  was  shown  in 
the  continued  silence  of  the  audience,  which  greatly 


THE   ELDER  BOOTH.  IOi 

added  to  the  solemnity  of  the  scene.  This  complete 
identification  with  the  characters  was  one  of  the  subtle 
charms  of  his  acting ;  his  clear  and  vigorous  mind 
could  imbue  itself  with  the  varied  tints  of  another's 
personality,  holding  its  own  individuality  in  reserve,  or 
as  it  were  subservient.  An  eminent  actor  once  re- 
marked of  Mr.  Booth  "  that  he  was  always  within  the 
picture ; "  and  in  the  soul  of  the  character,  might  well 
be  added,  —  unlike  Boileau's  easily  recognized  writer, 
who,  "  inspired  by  self-love,  forms  all  his  heroes  like 
himself." 

In  1851  Mr.  Booth  performed  a  variety  of  characters 
at  the  old  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  James  E.  Murdock  appeared  as  Falconbridge  to 
his  King  John,  Jaffier  to  his  Pierre,  Antony  to  his 
Casar.  Mr.  Booth  acted  Pescara,  and  Miss  Jean  Dav- 
enport Florinda.  "The  Merchant  of  Venice  "  was  then 
produced.  Mr.  Booth  arrived  at  the  theatre  unusually 
early,  and  immediately  prepared  himself  for  the  part. 
At  the  rising  of  the  curtain  Shylock  was  not  to  be 
found,  although  he  had  been  previously  observed  by 
persons  behind  the  scenes.  Mr.  Fredericks,  the  stage- 
manager,  was  in  perplexity,  and  the  actors  generally 
were  confused  and  anxious. 

It  was  decided  that  the  performance  should  com- 
mence and  continue  uninterruptedly  to  the  time  of 
Shy-lock's  entrance  (which  does  not  occur  until  nearly 
the  close  of  the  first  act),  meanwhile  every  effort 
should  be  employed  to  discover  the  "  Wandering  Jew," 
and  if  he  did  not  come  in  due  time  the  stage-manager's 
favorite  walking  gentleman  should  address  the  audience 
and  expose  "  Mr.  Booth's  unprincipled  conduct." 


IO2  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

The  much  dreaded  time  arrived,  and  Shylock  had 
not  appeared.  Messengers  had  been  despatched  to 
various  localities,  and  the  theatre  had  undergone  a 
thorough  search.  Mr.  Fredericks  was  in  a  most  unen- 
viable state  of  excitement,  and  the  apologist  was  ready 
with  his  speech,  when  at  the  exact  point  of  time  the 
door  of  a  dark  scene-closet  was  quietly  opened  from 
the  interior,  and  Shylock  mysteriously  emerged  there- 
from, gently  pushed  Mr.  Fredericks  aside,  and  walked 
slowly  and  in  deep  reflection  upon  the  stage. 

The  stage-manager,  stricken  with  amazement,  van- 
ished into  the  green-room,  where  he  related  the  aston- 
ishing behavior  of  Booth,  vowing  that  "  he  was  always 
an  enigma,  —  that  he  never  could  understand  him." 
As  he  had  not  recently  appeared  in  the  character  of 
Shylock,  he  was  consequently  more  than  ordinarily 
nervous  on  this  occasion,  and  had  dressed  early  and 
retired  to  the  most  secluded  spot  he  could  find,  in  order 
to  go  over  his  part  without  interruption.  He  was  quite 
innocent  of  having  created  any  uneasiness  or  confusion, 
and  consequently  walked  out  of  the  darkness,  com- 
pletely engrossed  in  the  part. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  Junius  Booth,  his  son,  who 
had  been  for  several  years  a  resident  of  California, 
came  home  on  a  visit  to  the  family,  and  with  the  inten- 
tion of  taking  his  father  back  with  him ;  as  he  had  been 
earnestly  solicited  by  the  Californians  to  induce  him 
to  go  to  that  country.  They  left  New  York  in  June, 
accompanied  by  Edwin  Booth.  In  thirty-seven  days 
they  reached  San  Francisco,  having  lost  eight  days  by 
detention  in  Panama. 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


103 


Mr.  Booth  opened  at  the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre,  and 
attracted  crowded  audiences  for  two  weeks,  when  the 
engagement  was  imperatively  terminated,  the  site  of 
the  theatre  having  been  previously  purchased  for  the 
erection  of  a  City  Hall.  He  then  went  up  the  river  to 
fulfil  an  engagement  at  Sacramento,  where  the  patron- 
age of  the  public  was  comparatively  small,  and  his 
reception,  though  cordial,  was  not  so  rapturous  and 
enthusiastic  as  that  which  greeted  him  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  September  he  again  performed  in  San 
Francisco,  and  attracted  overflowing  houses  at  the 
Adelphi  Theatre.  In  these  California  engagements 
Edwin  Booth  acted  in  nearly  all  of  his  father's  pieces, 
appearing  as  Richmond,  Laertes,  Hemeya,  and  jfaffier. 

Mr.  Booth  suddenly  resolved  to  return  to  the  "  States," 
and  insisted  on  his  son  remaining  to  pursue  the  pro- 
fession he  had  chosen.  Of  late  years  he  had  frequently 
expressed  his  intention  of  retiring  from  active  life,  and 
as  a  sad  intimation  that  the  idea  had  weight  with  him, 
he  gave  his  Richard's  diadem  —  an  ornament  that  had 
been  for  years  a  treasure  of  considerable  care  —  to  his 
eldest  son,  saying  that  he  should  not  need  it.  This 
resignation  of  the  crown  was  painfully  remembered  in 
connection  with  that  final  event  so  soon  to  distress 
them,  yet  he  parted  from  his  sons  in  excellent  health 
and  spirits,  looking  hopefully  forward  to  reaching  home. 
He  had  engaged  his  passage  on  the  "Brother  Jona- 
than," and  on  the  morning  of  starting,  while  anxiously 
superintending  the  transportation  of  his  baggage  to  the 
boat,  he  was  somewhat  annoyed  at  the  dilatory  manner 
of  a  rough,  surly  sailor  who  was  executing  the  work, 


104 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


and  kindly  urged  the  man  to  show  more  alacrity  ;  but, 
observing  that  he  obstinately  moved  slower,  and  was 
disposed  to  be  insolent,  he  inquired  sharply,  "What 
are  you  employed  for?  who  are  you?" 

The  seaman  with  a  vicious  look  gruffly  replied,  "  I 
am  a  thief." 

Mr.  Booth,  with  a  quick  intuition  of  character,  im- 
mediately exclaimed,  "  Give  me  your  hand,  comrade ; 
I  am  a  pirate  !  " 

The  man  looked  abashed,  yet,  evidently  recognizing 
the  spirit  of  kindliness  which  prompted  such  a  response, 
extended  his  hand  in  silence. 

On  his  arrival  in  New  Orleans  in  November,  feeling 
well  and  vigorous,  he  accepted  an  engagement  at  the 
St.  Charles  Theatre.  He  performed  six  nights,  and 
was  greeted  with  thronged  and  enthusiastic  audiences, 
but  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  extend  his  engage- 
ment, as  he  was  desirous  of  reaching  home.  His  last 
appearance  was  as  Sir  Edward  Mortimer  in  the  "  Iron 
Chest"  and  as  John  Lump. 

Being  greatly  exhausted  after  the  performance,  it  is 
supposed  that  he  contracted  a  cold,  which  rapidly  grew 
worse.  He  took  passage  for  Cincinnati  on  the  "  J.  S. 
Chenoweth,"  and  becoming  in  a  few  days  very  feverish, 
he  drank  freely  of  the  Mississippi  water,  which  greatly 
increased  his  disorder.  There  was  no  physician  on 
board,  and  he  would  not  trouble  the  captain  to  procure 
one,  but  with  all  that  patient  endurance  which  had  ever 
characterized  him,  bore  his  sufferings  unmurmuringly 
and  alone.  He  kept  his  stateroom  almost  entirely,  to 
avoid  remark,  and  by  this  means  incurred  still  greater 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  IO,; 

THE    LAST    PLAY-BILL. 


ST.    CHARLES    THEATRE. 
BENEFIT   OF 

MR.    BOOTH, 

And  positively  last  night  of  his  engagement. 
Friday  Evening,  Nov.  iqth,  1852. 

MR.    BOOTH    IN    PLAY   AND    FARCE. 


THE    IRON    CHEST. 

Sir  Edward  Mortimer Mr.  Booth. 

Wilford Mr.  Nagle. 

Fitzharding Mr.  Kemble. 

Adam  Winterton Mr.  Mark  Smith. 

Sampson  Rawbold Mr.  De  Bar. 

Orson Mr.  Lewellen. 

Rawbold Mr.  Potter. 

Servant Mr.  Melville. 

Gregory Mr.  Jones. 

Peter Mr.  Howard. 

Helen Mrs.  Stone. 

Blanch Mrs.  Estelle  Potter. 

Barbara Mrs.  Howard 

To  conclude  with  the  Musical  Farce  of  the 

REVIEW; 

Or,  The  Wag  of  Windsor. 
John  Lump Mr.  Booth. 


106  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

neglect.  His  disease  turned  to  consumption  of  the 
bowels,  of  which  he  died  on  Tuesday,  3oth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1852,  at  2  P.M.  The  steward  of  the  vessel  re- 
ported his  last  words  to  have  been,  in  a  scarcely  audible 
voice,  "Pray!  pray!  pray!"  On  reaching  Cincinnati 
the  Masonic  fraternity  had  the  body  embalmed  in  a 
metallic  coffin  and  deposited  in  the  Baptist  vault. 
Mrs.  Booth  was  telegraphed  for,  and  arrived  in  Cin- 
cinnati expecting  to  find  her  husband  very  ill,  —  the 
second  despatch,  announcing  his  decease,  not  reach- 
ing Baltimore  until  her  departure  from  that  city.  She 
returned  home  as  soon  as  possible,  bringing  the  body 
with  her  for  interment. 

For  three  days  the  house  in  which  his  remains  lay 
was  thronged  with  people  of  every  class.  The  walls 
of  the  parlors  were  draped  with  white,  pictures  and 
mirrors  were  covered,  and  all  the  ornaments  were  re- 
moved, excepting  a  marble  figure  of  Shakspere,  which 
was  placed  near  the  coffin,  and  seemed  to  gaze  down 
upon  the  form  beneath.  The  face  under  the  glass  plate 
was  very  calm  and  beautiful,  and  the  brown  hair  more 
thickly  strewn  with  white  than  when  his  family  had 
seen  it  last ;  the  gray  eyes  were  partly  visible  between 
the  half-shut  lids,  and  the  lips,  retaining  their  lifelike 
color,  were  smilingly  closed.  Such  a  placidity  and  re- 
pose pervaded  the  whole  countenance  that  it  was  felt 
how  easy  the  transition  must  have  been  from  suffer- 
ing life  to  this  calm  sleep.  How  often  had  his  chil- 
dren found  him  at  rest  with  this  same  look  upon  his 
face,  and  had  stepped  softly  not  to  disturb  him  !  Now 
its  perfect  naturalness  occasioned  doubt  in  many  minds, 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


107 


and  physicians  were  sent  for  to  satisfy  his  family  whether 
this  was  really  death  or  a  trance.  Hope  was  futile  and 
vain  ;  but  while  it  animated  the  hearts  that  suffered,  it 
had  become  as  powerful  as  life. 

The  family  and  attendants  proceeded  to  the  ceme- 
tery, followed  by  a  long  procession  on  foot,  composed 
of  members  of  the  theatrical  profession,  private  citi- 
zens, and  a  large  concourse  of  colored  people,  many 
of  whom,  as  well  as  those  connected  with  the  theatres, 
wore  crape  on  the  left  arm  for  thirty  days.  Mrs.  Booth 
had  requested  that  no  music  should  be  played  as  the 
funeral  moved  through  the  streets,  or  at  the  grave,  and 
with  respectful  observance  of  her  wish  Volandt's  full 
band  removed  to  a  distant  part  of  the  cemetery.  As 
the  procession  toiled  slowly  up  the  hill  and  entered  the 
grounds,  the  faint  throbs  of  the  Dead  March  broke 
mournfully  upon  the  ear ;  the  coffin  was  placed  on  a 
bier,  and  set  down  at  the  gates  of  the  mausoleum. 
The  music  died  away  in  echoes,  and  the  minister,  with 
his  long  black  robes  fluttering  in  the  wind,  began  the 
solemn  service,  "  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life." 
Hundreds  of  men  stood  bareheaded  in  the  bleak  even- 
ing air ;  the  ground  was  thickly  crusted  with  snow,  which 
now  began  fluttering  down  again,  and  the  sun  threw  its 
last  gleams  over  all  as  it  was  slowly  sinking  behind  the 
hills. 

In  the  spring,  when  the  snow  had  entirely  gone,  the 
grave  was  dug,  and  the  coffin,  taken  from  the  mauso- 
leum, was  buried.  It  was  subsequently  removed  to  a 
larger  lot  in  Greenmount  Cemetery,  Baltimore. 

On  Edwin  Booth's  return  from  California  he  erected 


I08  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

a  monument  over  his  father's  grave.  The  sculpture  was 
executed  in  Boston,  and  completed  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  and  the  monument  was  placed  over  the  tomb  on 
the  ist  of  May,  his  father's  birthday.  To  this  plot  have 
been  removed  the  remains  of  Richard  Booth,  father  of 
Junius  Brutus  Booth,  who  died  in  1840  aged  seventy- 
six,  and  the  bodies  of  five  children. 

The  following  letter  to  Mrs.  Booth  was  written  by  the 
manager  of  the  New  Orleans  Theatre  :  — 

NEW  ORLEANS,  Dec.  6, 1852. 
MRS.  J.  B.  BOOTH. 

DEAR  MADAM,  —  It  was  with  deep  regret  and  sorrow 
that  we  read  here  a  telegraphic  paragraph,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  2d  inst,  announcing  the  decease  of  your  late 
worthy  husband.  It  was  the  more  startling  because  the 
least  expected.  During  his  engagement  with  us  in  the 
St.  Charles  Theatre  it  was  generally  remarked  how  well 
he  looked  and  how  well  he  performed.  For  myself, 
who  remember  him  since  his  first  week's  performance 
in  the  United  States,  and  have  been  well  acquainted 
with  his  professional  career,  I  was  agreeably  astonished 
at  the  vigor  evinced  by  him  during  the  six  nights  he 
performed  with  us,  and  the  conclusion  of  his  engage- 
ment seemed  a  cause  of  regret  to  the  public  generally. 
As  a  matter  of  information  to  you,  I  would  state  that 
we  paid  him  ten  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars  for 
his  engagement  of  the  six  nights.  He  spoke  of  having 
been  robbed  on  his  route  through  Mexico,  but  I  do  not 
recollect  of  what  amount.  Trusting,  madam,  that  you 
will  find  consolation  in  the  reflection  that  the  dispensa- 
tions of  Providence  are  always  for  wise  and  merciful 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 


109 


purposes,  and  wishing  you  health  and  the  enjoyments 
of  life  for  many  years,  I  am 

Your  obedient  serv't  and  well-wisher, 

N.  M.  LUDLOW. 

Booth's  genius  was  held  in  high  estimation  by  many 
of  our  countrymen.  A  New  York  journal  said  :  — 

"  The  late  Rufus  Choate  was  an  enthusiastic  lover  of 
Shakspere's  works,  and  familiar  with  every  line  of  them. 
Of  all  the  players,  he  liked  Junius  Brutus  Booth  the 
best.  In  remarkable  power  of  intense  mental  action 
and  concentrated  feeling,  the  eminent  actor  and  the 
incomparable  lawyer  resembled  each  other.  Booth  was 
the  only  player  that  realized  his  ideal  of  a  great  trage- 
dian ;  and  when  he  heard  of  his  decease,  he  exclaimed 
sorrowfully,  '  There  are  no  more  actors?  " 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  an  analytical 
sketch  published  in  New  York  :  — 

"  Booth  was  possessed  of  great  kindness  of  heart,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  humane,  unselfish,  and  generous 
men  that  ever  lived.  He  cared  little  for  money,  only 
as  a  means  to  gratify  his  humane  and  kindly  impulses ; 
and  as  for  fame,  perhaps  so  much  was  never  carried  by 
any  man  with  such  careless  ease  and  real  indifference. 
His  faults  are  of  a  kind  incident  to  such  a  nature.  His 
humanity  was  illustrated  more  by  example  than  by  pre- 
cept. His  loving-kindness  was  not  confined  by  any 
means  to  his  fellow-creatures,  but  went  out  towards  the 
whole  animal  creation,  and  in  a  manner  so  strange  and 
eccentric  at  times  that  it  was  not  unfrequently  regarded 
as  the  evidence  of  insanity.  A  very  amiable  insanity 


IIO  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

it  must  be  admitted,  and  a  very  natural  outgrowth  of 
a  disposition  we  can  but  wish  was  more  common  in  a 
cruel  and  selfish  world. 

"  We  have  been  told  that  once,  when  living  on  his 
farm  in  Harford  County,  he  sent  for  all  his  neighbors 
and  friends,  far  and  near,  to  come  to  his  place  and  at- 
tend a  funeral.  When  they  arrived  they  found,  to  their 
great  disgust,  that  it  was  the  carcass  of  a  favorite  horse 
that  he  wished  to  have  buried  with  all  due  solemnity. 
The  crowd  retired,  some  in  disgust,  others  laughing  at 
the  strange  performance.  His  family,  however,  under- 
stood the  meaning  of  the  thing.  A  physician  was  sent 
for,  and  the  '  chief  mourner '  passed  through  a  long  and 
unusually  serious  attack  of  disease.  One  night  when 
he  was  to  act  he  did  not  appear,  nor  could  he  be  found 
at  his  lodgings.  He  did  not  come  home  that  night. 
Next  morning  he  was  found  in  the  woods,  several  miles 
from  the  city,  wandering  in  the  snow.  He  was  taken 
care  of.  His  derangement  proved  to  be  temporary, 
and  his  reason  returned  in  a  few  days. 

"  We  have  the  best  authority  for  believing  that  this 
tendency  in  Booth  to  disappoint  audiences  before  whom 
he  was  to  appear,  and  for  which  he  was  so  much  cen- 
sured (most  people  being  inclined  to  attribute  it  to 
habits  of  dissipation),  arose  far  more  frequently  from 
causes  over  which  he  had  no  control.  When  at  home 
he  would  sometimes  disappear  in  a  very  strange  and 
unaccountable  manner,  remaining  away  for  hours  at 
a  time,  and  return  silent,  thoughtful,  and  completely 
abstracted,  either  unable  or  not  inclined  to  give  any 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  IM 

account  of  himself.  His  family  were  not  disposed 
to  question  him  closely  at  such  times,  but  were  fully 
convinced  that  these  strange  freaks  were  not  in  the 
remotest  degree  connected  with  inebriety.  Anything 
occurring  suddenly,  which  was  calculated  to  rouse 
strongly  his  sympathies,  would  cause  him  to  forget 
entirely  his  engagements ;  and  many  times  large  au- 
diences, impatiently  waiting  his  appearance  on  the 
stage,  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  and  left  mut- 
tering their  imprecations,  while  he  himself  was  quite 
unconscious  of  any  impropriety  till  reminded  of  his 
neglect. 

"  We  cannot  close  this  very  imperfect  analysis  of  the 
moral  and  intellectual  character  of  one  in  whom  the 
elements  were  so  strangely  mixed  as  to  lead  the  world 
to  doubt  whether  they  were  of  good  or  evil,  without  a 
glance  at  his  religious  convictions. 

"These,  as  was  to  have  been  expected,  partook 
largely  of  his  native  mental  and  moral  characteristics. 
They  were  broad,  liberal,  comprehensive,  and  founded 
upon  love.  With  him,  indeed,  love  was  the  fulfilment 
of  the  law,  and  without  it  all  loudly  proclaimed  pro- 
fessions were  but '  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cym- 
bal.' 

"  He  was  emphatically  a  devout  man.  His  last  words 
uttered  in  the  ear  of  the  steward  of  the  steamboat,  his 
sole  attendant  in  his  dying  hour,  were  '  Pray !  pray  ! 
pray  ! '  and  thus  passed  from  earth  this  troubled,  but 
loving,  sincere,  and  humane  spirit. 

"  If  to  possess  the  most  lively  humanity,  and  a  child- 
like, confiding  faith  in  everything  that  is  good,  noble, 


H2  THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

and  pure,  in  whatever  shape  it  presents  itself,  is  accept- 
able on  high ;  if  to  cherish  for  all  animate  nature  the 
most  tender  love,  is  to  fulfil  the  law  and  cause  much  to 
be  forgiven ;  if  he  who  considereth  the  poor  is  blessed, 
then  may  we  not  hope  that  this  man,  after  his  weary 
toil  in  the  journey  of  life,  bearing  his  heavy  burden  of 
disease,  at  last  found  rest  in  the  kingdom  of  that  God 
he  tried  to  worship  '  in  spirit  and  in  truth,'  and  that 
Redeemer  in  whose  footsteps  he,  at  least,  strove  to 
walk  according  to  the  light  that  was  in  him,  and  the 
power  that  was  given  him." 

So  ceased  to  beat  on  earth  that  gentle  and  unselfish 
heart.  Whatever  errors  had  controlled  his  judgment,  or 
obscured  that  penetrative  sense  which  renders  men  so 
worldly  wise,  it  was  honorable  to  him  that  through  all 
the  changes  of  a  varied  life  he  retained  an  almost  child- 
like faith  in  the  honesty  of  human  nature.  Too  credu- 
lous, perhaps,  of  the  universality  of  this  quality,  he  was 
easily  swayed  by  that  unquestioning  philanthropy  which 
formed  the  basis  of  his  character. 

In  disposition  he  was  mild  and  unobtrusive,  yet  his 
kindness  was  qualified  with  undeviating  firmness.  His 
idea  of  home  was  a  sacred  circle  wherein  few  were  ad- 
mitted save  the  immediate  family.  In  the  youth  of 
his  children  everything  connected  with  his  profession 
was  carefully  avoided,  as  if  he  feared,  by  intercourse  or 
allusion,  to  throw  that  glamour  over  its  reality  which 
might  delude  the  senses  and  engender  romantic  desires 
for  excitement. 

For  his  two  younger  sons  he  had  a  workshop  erected 
in  the  garden,  and  stored  with  lumber  and  the  necessary 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  u$ 

tools  ;  thus  blending  pleasure  with  instruction,  he  strove 
to  excite  in  their  minds  a  love  of  mechanical  pursuits, 
quoting  "Laborare  est  orare"  Before  leaving  for  Cal- 
ifornia, he  placed  them  under  the  careful  guardianship 
of  excellent  teachers. 

Prior  to  any  anticipation  of  this  voyage,  he  was  erect- 
ing a  handsome  cottage  on  the  Farm,  where  he  purposed 
to  pass  the  summer  months  of  every  year.  The  build- 
ing was  designed  in  the  Elizabethan  style,  arranged  to 
suit  his  own  peculiar  fancy.  The  site  selected  is  near 
the  old  cabin  which  had.  then  for  many  years  been 
occupied  by  the  servants. 

Occasionally  his  children  were  permitted  to  visit  the 
theatre,  but  were  never  allowed  a  free  indulgence  of 
promiscuous  plays.  On  one  occasion  he  took  every 
member  of  the  family  to  witness  Mr.  Macready's 
"  Werner."  The  writer  can  remember  only  a  sombre 
man  with  peculiar  brows  and  guttural  voice,  dragging 
through  what  seemed  to  her  a  very  dismal  tragedy; 
but  Mr.  Booth  pronounced  it  "a  most  exquisite  per- 
formance." 

He  was  always  a  deep  student,  and  would  set  him- 
self tasks,  committing  them  to  memory  like  a  school- 
boy. Late  in  life  he  acquired  the  part  of  Penrudduck, 
and  performed  it  perfectly ;  but,  failing  to  retain  it  for 
a  future  rendition,  he  acknowledged,  almost  sadly,  that 
"  time  was  gaining  on  him." 

A  striking  peculiarity  in  his  character  was  the  con- 
trast between  his  assumption  of  democracy  by  which 
he  sought  the  level  of  the  humblest,  and  encouraged 
even  the  low  and  vile  to  approach  him  as  friends,  and 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH. 

that  innate  dignity  which  would  exalt  him  as  a  peer 
above  the  herd,  and  check  all  attempt  at  undue  famil- 
iarity. There  was  an  awe  about  him  that  neither  his 
deep  learning,  age,  nor  position  elicited,  but  which  the 
natural  demeanor  of  the  man  inspired. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  qualities  of  his  nature  was 
humility,  —  that  lowliness  of  soul  which  emanates  from 
a  disregard  of  self,  and,  while  elevating  its  possessor, 
causes  him  to  appreciate  in  others  all  that  is  truly  great 
and  good,  unaffected  by  the  meaner  passions.  Per- 
haps it  was  the  daily  exercise  of  this  self-abnegation 
that  rendered  him  so  childlike  yet  so  noble  in  the  eyes 
of  all  who  loved  him,  while,  in  the  pursuance  of  his 
profession,  it  left  him  free  from  the  petty  malice  and 
jealousies  of  an  actor's  life,  and  enabled  him  justly  to 
award  praise  to  the  meritorious,  and  discern  true  worth 
in  any  garb. 

All  forms  of  religion  and  all  temples  of  devotion  were 
sacred  to  him,  and  he  never  failed  to  bare  his  head 
reverently  when  passing  a  church.  He  worshipped  at 
many  shrines ;  he  admired  the  Koran,  and  in  his  copy 
of  that  volume  many  beautiful  passages  are  underscored. 
Days  sacred  to  color,  ore,  and  metals  were  religiously 
observed  by  him.  In  the  synagogues  he  was  known  as 
a  Jew,  because  he  conversed  with  rabbis  and  learned 
doctors,  and  joined  their  worship  in  the  Hebraic  tongue. 
He  read  the  Talmud,  also,  and  strictly  adhered  to  many 
of  its  laws. 

Several  fathers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  recount 
pleasant  hours  spent  with  him  in  theological  discourse, 
and  aver  that  he  was  of  their  religion  because  of  his 


THE  ELDER  BOOTH.  Ir,j 

knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  their  faith.  Of  the  nu- 
merous houses  of  worship  to  which  he  went,  the  one 
he  most  loved  to  frequent  was  a  floating  church,  or 
"  Sailor's  Bethel."  The  congregation  was  of  the  hum- 
blest kind,  and  the  ministry  not  at  all  edifying.  The 
writer  remembers  kneeling  through  a  lengthy  im- 
promptu prayer,  which  contained  no  spirit  of  piety 
to  her  childish  ears ;  but  looking  around  wearily  at 
her  father,  she  beheld  his  face  so  earnestly  inspired 
with  devotion,  that  she  felt  rebuked,  and  it  became 
pleasant  to  attend  to  that  which  was  so  devoid  of 
interest  before. 

His  reverence  for  religion  was  universal  and  deep- 
rooted.  It  was  daily  shown  in  acts  of  philanthropy  and 
humane  deeds,  which  were,  however,  too  often  misdi- 
rected. He  was  not  a  sectarian,  but  made  many  creeds 
his  study ;  and  although  the  dogmas  of  the  Church  might 
have  yielded  him  a  more  enduring  peace,  yet  the  ten- 
derness of  his  heart,  from  which  emanated  his  loving- 
kindness  and  great  charity,  afforded  strength  to  his 
declining  years. 

"  Why  then  doth  flesh,  a  bubble-glass  of  breath, 
Hunt  after  honor  and  advancement  vain, 

And  rear  a  trophy  for  devouring  death, 
With  so  great  labor  and  long-lasting  pain, 
As  if  his  days  forever  should  remain  ? 

Sith  all  that  in  this  world  is  great  or  gay, 

Doth  as  a  vapor  vanish  and  decay." 


PART    II.     - 

THE   YOUNGER    BOOTH. 

1833- 


"  At  my  birth 
The  front  of  heaven  was  full  of  fiery  shapes." 

i  HENRY  IV.,  Act  III.  Sc  i. 


THE  YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


EDWIN  THOMAS  BOOTH  was  born  at  the  Booth  Farm 
in  Harford  County,  Maryland,  on  the  i3th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1833,  a  night  remarkable  for  a  brilliant  meteoric 
shower.  It  is  at  least  pleasing  to  think  that  from  an 
errant  planet  came  to  earth  so  bright  a  star.  In  negro 
phraseology,  Edwin  Booth  was  said  to  have  been  "  born 
lucky  "  and  "  gifted  to  see  ghosts,"  because  of  the  me- 
teoric phenomena  and  of  his  having  been  born  with  a 
caul.  He  was  named  after  two  of  his  father's  friends, 
Edwin  Forrest  and  Thomas  Flynn,  although  the  former 
actor  was  always  somewhat  piqued  that  Edwin  did  not 
retain  the  Forrest,  which  he  insisted  had  been  bestowed 
upon  him. 

Edwin  Booth's  earliest  recollection  of  his  father  was 
in  connection  with  sombre  woods  and  darkness ;  they 
had  travelled  a  whole  day  together,  reaching  the  Farm 
late  at  night ;  a  man  who  had  accompanied  them,  to 
take  back  the  saddle-horses  hired  at  a  distant  country- 
place,  was  heard  going  away  in  the  dark,  as  Mr.  Booth, 
raising  his  little  son  in  his  arms,  lifted  him  over  the 
crooked  snake-fence  around  his  own  woodland,  and, 
placing  him  securely  in  the  grass,  said,  "  Your  foot  is 
on  your  native  heath." 


I2O  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

In  a  very  interesting  book,  called  "  Shadows  on  the 
Wall,"  by  that  talented  and  well-beloved  citizen  of 
Baltimore,  John  H.  Hewitt,  the  following  passage  oc- 
curs :  — 

"  Not  less  distinguished,  but  in  a  different  way,  stands 
out  the  name  of  Edwin  Booth  before  his  countrymen 
and  the  world.  He  was  a  comely  lad,  as  I  remember 
him,  dressed  in  a  Spanish  cloak  (among  the  first  to 
display  that  style),  giving  promise  of  the  man  he  has 
turned  out  to  be.  Inheriting  his  father's  genius  for  the 
mimic  stage,  he  has  achieved  the  first  rank  upon  it, 
and  it  has  been  his  good  fortune  to  have  lived  in  an 
era  of  larger  prices  and  more  numerous  audiences. 
He  is  so  far  different  from  his  father,  in  style  and  exe- 
cution, that  his  greatest  successes  have  been  achieved 
in  different  roles ;  and  while  he  stands  unsurpassed  in 
'  Hamlet,'  he  will  not  find  fault  with  an  old  friend  of 
Junius  Brutus  Booth  for  standing  by  him  as  the  great- 
est Richard,  Sir  Giles,  and  logo,  that  ever  trod  the 
American  boards.  He  is  still  young  enough  to  have  a 
long  career  of  success  and  usefulness  before  him.  His 
fame  is  already  the  property  of  his  country  and  cannot 
be  taken  from  him." 

Edwin  Booth's  education  was  commenced  under  the 
care  of  Miss  Susan  Hyde,  a  young  lady  whose  capa- 
bilities were  unanimously  acknowledged  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  "  Old  Town."  Hers  was  one  of  those 
old-fashioned  schools  for  girls  and  boys  now  almost 
unknown,  where  the  rudiments  of  a  sound  education 
were  well  inculcated,  and  where  the  gentle  mistress 
presided  as  the  Minerva  of  her  little  circle.  Miss  Hyde 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  I2i 

is  at  present  the  Secretary  of  the  Peabody  Institute  in 
Baltimore,  and  a  fervent  admirer  of  the  genius  of  her 
distinguished  pupil,  who  holds  her  in  affectionate  re- 
membrance. Subsequently,  Mr.  Booth  placed  his  son 
with  an  old  Frenchman,  a  West- Indian  naval  officer, 
Louis  Dugas,  who  had  gathered  around  him  a  few 
young  persons  in  their  teens.  He  afterward  went  to 
a  university,  and  studied  at  intervals  of  time  with  a 
Mr.  Kearney,  who  wrote  all  his  own  school-books  and 
encouraged  dramatic  representations  among  his  boys. 
On  one  occasion  Edwin  and  John  S.  Clarke,  dressed 
in  the  white  linen  trousers  and  black  jackets  then  in 
fashion,  enacted  or  recited,  with  appropriate  gestures, 
the  quarrel  scene  of  Brutus  and  Cassius.  The  elder 
Booth  entered  the  crowded  school-room  unobserved, 
and,  placing  himself  on  the  corner  of  a  bench  near  the 
door,  witnessed  and  enjoyed  the  performance. 

Edwin  began  to  travel  with  his  father  on  one  of  those 
periodical  tours  which  it  was  customary  for  him  to 
make,  and  relates,  as  among  the  earliest  of  his  theat- 
rical reminiscences,  the  first  appearance  in  Boston  of 
the  now  famous  William  Warren.  Mr.  Booth,  after  his 
performance  of  Shylock  at  the  Howard  Athenasum, 
seated  himself  with  Edwin  among  the  audience  to  wit- 
ness Mr.  Warren's  acting  of  Jacques  Strop  in  the  play 
of  "  Robert  Macaire."  It  was  an  exceptional  thing 
for  him  to  make  one  of  the  auditory,  but  the  debutant 
was  a  favorite  of  his ;  he  always  manifested  great  inter- 
est in  his  career,  and  seemed  to  be  thoroughly  pleased 
with  his  performance  on  that  evening.  Between  these 
protracted  theatrical  tours  Edwin  usually  resumed  his 
school  duties  in  Baltimore. 


122  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

He  played  the  violin  well,  which  he  had  learned  under 
Signer  Picioli,  and  he  amused  his  father  by  thrumming 
the  banjo,  which  was  becoming  a  fashionable  instrument 
and  had  been  taught  him  by  a  clever  negro  musician. 
He  accompanied  the  banjo  by  singing  the  native  melo- 
dies in  the  broad  accent  of  the  Southern  negro. 

He  was  envied  by  his  companions  because  of  these 
trips  with  his  father;  but  their  novelty  soon  lost  all 
charm  for  him,  and  the  monotony  of  school  life  would 
have  been  preferable  to  the  arduous  task  of  watching 
the  health  and  caring  for  the  safety  of  his  eccentric, 
though  kind-hearted  sire.  It  was  a  duty  requiring  the 
patience  and  endurance  of  a  woman  ;  but  Mrs.  Booth, 
no  longer  young  or  strong,  was  compelled  to  place  the 
charge  into  her  son's  hands ;  while  he,  an  excitable, 
nervously  organized  youth,  was  often  unequal  to  bear 
half  that  was  required  of  him.  Sleepless  nights  and 
lonely  days  are  not  the  proper  lot  of  boyhood,  yet 
many  such  painful  experiences  were  woven  into  the 
early  life  of  Edwin  Booth.  While  considering  the  love 
he  bore  his  father,  and  recalling  his  slight  figure,  with 
his  imaginative  mind  sensitively  alive  to  the  horrible, 
particularly  impressed  perhaps  by  the  great  responsi- 
bility devolving  upon  him,  we  can  enter  fully  into  the 
painfulness  of  the  anecdotes  that  follow.  Stopping 
once  at  the  Pemberton  House  in  Boston,  one  of  those 
old  hotels  built  with  a  square  courtyard  in  the  centre 
after  the  manner  of  some  ancient  Continental  inns,  a 
curious  incident  occurred.  Around  one  part  of  the 
ground  floor  were  stables  ;  adjoining  these,  and  open- 
ing into  Mr.  Booth's  room,  was  a  dark,  unventilated 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


123 


cupboard,  unfitted  for  use,  because  of  the  powerful  sta- 
ble odor,  which  the  actor,  however,  firmly  contended 
was  conducive  to  health. 

One  night,  returning  to  his  rooms  physically  exhausted 
by  a  heavy  performance,  he  could  not  rest,  and  insisted 
on  going  into  the  streets  to  roam  about.  Edwin  remon- 
strated with  him  in  vain,  —  offered  to  play  and  sing  for 
him,  tried  to  interest  him  in  other  topics  than  those  of 
the  stage ;  but,  finding  every  effort  defeated,  he  stood 
up  boldly  and  said,  "You  shall  not  go  out."  Trem- 
bling at  his  own  temerity,  for  he  knew  his  feebleness  in 
comparison  with  his  powerful,  thick-set  father,  he  was 
astonished  at  the  result.  Mr.  Booth  gave  him  one  long 
stare,  then  vanished  into  the  dark  closet,  securing  the 
door  on  the  inner  side.  He  remained  in  darkness  and 
silence  for  a  long  time,  no  entreaty,  coaxing,  or  threat 
being  able  to  elicit  a  sound  from  him,  until  Edwin, 
who  had  endured  the  greatest  distress  of  mind,  fearing 
that  he  could  not  longer  exist  in  that  airless,  stifling 
chamber,  if  indeed  he  were  not  already  dead,  was  about 
to  run  for  help ;  when  his  father  opened  the  door,  and 
walking  sternly  across  the  room  undressed  himself,  and 
without  speaking  went  to  bed. 

In  Louisville,  on  another  occasion,  after  the  night's 
performance  of  "  Richard  III.,"  which  he  had  acted 
splendidly,  Mr.  Booth  started  for  home  ;  but,  moved  by 
a  sudden  impulse,  he  changed  his  mind,  preferring  to 
walk  the  streets  alone.  In  vain  Edwin  persuaded  him 
to  go  to  the  hotel  and  rest.  Mr.  Booth,  finding  that 
his  son  would  not  leave  him,  darted  off  in  a  contrary 
direction,  and  walked  rapidly  until  he  came  to  a  long 


124 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


covered  market,  which  he  entered,  and  began  pacing 
up  and  down.  From  one  end  of  the  place  to  the  other 
their  walk  was  kept  up  without  pause  until  daylight. 
Edwin  soon  became  exhausted  with  fatigue,  but  his 
father,  seemingly  untired,  would  at  times  slacken  his 
pace  abruptly,  then  start  off  with  increased  rapidity, 
Edwin  falling  in  with  his  gait  as  it  changed,  sometimes 
angry,  and  again  ready  to  laugh  at  the  ludicrousness  of 
the  situation.  Not  a  syllable  had  been  spoken  by  either, 
when  the  elder  pedestrian  was  at  last  silently  impelled 
to  go  home  to  his  bed. 

Other  occurrences,  partaking  more  of  the  painful  than 
the  ludicrous,  could  not  fail  to  cloud  the  youth  of  one 
who  felt  his  responsibility  as  great  as  his  affection. 

William  Winter  says  :  — 

"  Between  them  there  existed  from  the  first  a  pro- 
found and  fervent,  though  silent  and  undemonstrative 
sympathy.  As  Edwin  grew  up,  his  close  companion- 
ship seemed  more  and  more  to  be  needed  and  desired 
by  the  parent.  ...  As  a  boy,  he  is  represented  to  have 
been  grave  beyond  his  years,  observant,  thoughtful,  and 
rather  melancholy,  but  wise  in  knowledge  of  his  sur- 
roundings, and  strong  in  reticence  and  self-poise.  He 
was  accustomed  to  accompany  his  father  as  attendant 
and  dresser,  but  in  fact  he  was  the  chosen  monitor  and 
guardian  of  that  wild  genius,  and  possessed  more  influ- 
ence over  him  than  was  exercised  by  any  other  person. 
This  association,  operating  upon  hereditary  talent, 
wrought  its  inevitable  consequence  in  making  Edwin 
Booth  an  actor.  The  strange  life  that  he  saw  and  led 
—  a  life  in  which  fictitious  emotions,  imaginative  influ- 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH 


125 


ences,  and  every-day  trivialities  are  so  singularly  blended 
—  exerted  its  customary  charm  upon  a  youthful,  sensi- 
tive, and  irrepressible  nature,  at  once  luring  him  to- 
wards the  stage,  and  preparing  him  for  its  profession." 

On  the  i oth  of  September,  1849,  Edwin  Booth  made 
his  first  appearance  on  any  stage,  in  the  character  of 
Tressel,  at  the  Boston  Museum,  under  the  following 
circumstances.  Mr.  Thoman,  who  was  prompter  and 
actor,  was  arranging  some  detail  of  the  play,  and  be- 
coming irritable  at  having  so  much  to  do,  said  abruptly 
to  Edwin,  who  was  standing  near  him,  "  This  is  too 
much  work  for  one  man ;  you  ought  to  play  Tresscl" 
and  he  induced  him  to  undertake  the  part.  On  the 
eventful  night  the  elder  Booth  dressed  for  Richard  III. 
was  seated  with  his  feet  upon  a  table  in  his  dressing- 
room.  Calling  his  son  before  him,  like  a  severe  peda- 
gogue or  inquisitor,  he  interrogated  him  in  that  hard, 
laconic  style  he  could  so  seriously  assume  :  — 

"Who  was  Tressel?" 

"  A  messenger  from  the  field  of  Tewksbury." 

"  What  was  his  mission?  " 

"  To  bear  the  news  of  the  defeat  of  the  king's  party." 

"  How  did  he  make  the  journey  ?  " 

"On  horseback." 

"  Where  are  your  spurs?  " 

Edwin  glanced  quickly  down,  and  said  he  had  not 
thought  of  them. 

"  Here,  take  mine." 

Edwin  unbuckled  his  father's  spurs,  and  fastened 
them  on  his  own  boots.  His  part  being  ended  on  the 
stage,  he  found  his  father  still  sitting  in  the  dressing- 
room,  apparently  engrossed  in  thought. 


126  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

"  Have  you  done  well  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  think  so,"  replied  Edwin. 

"  Give  me  my  spurs,"  rejoined  his  father ;  and  obe- 
diently young  Tressel  replaced  the  spurs  upon  Glouces- 
ter's feet. 

In  the  summer  of  1850  Edwin  and  J.  S.  Clarke  gave 
a  dramatic  reading  at  the  Court-House  in  Belair  at 
the  solicitation  of  a  number  of  collegians  and  resi- 
dents of  that  village.  As  the  request  for  the  enter- 
tainment was  unanimous,  it  was  cordially  responded  to, 
and  the  two  youths  mounted  their  horses  and  rode 
twenty-five  miles  over  the  roughest  of  country  roads 
under  an  August  sun  to  obtain  printed  programmes 
and  tickets  in  Baltimore.  Mr.  Booth  was  as  elated  as 
themselves  with  the  undertaking,  and,  happy  in  expec- 
tation, the  two  friends  rode  back  the  next  day,  and  im- 
mediately commenced  arranging  a  large  room  in  the 
county  court-house,  which  had  been  offered  for  their 
convenience.  The  doors  and  windows  were  instantly 
besieged  by  an  eager  throng  of  rustics,  who  were  anx- 
ious to  witness  the  preparations  for  the  great  show, 
evidently  expecting  that  a  circus  or  some  wonderful 
magician  was  to  exhibit,  as  nothing  more  elevated  than 
such  performances  had  ever  been  given  in  Belair  so 
publicly  and  on  so  grand  a  scale. 

An  old  negro  was  sent  out  to  post  the  bills,  and  as 
the  young  men  rode  in  from  the  Farm  on  that  eventful 
evening  they  discovered,  to  their  intense  chagrin,  that 
every  bill  had  been  placed  upside  down.  The  house 
was  full  and  fashionable,  —  the  audience  observing  the 
decorous  regulation  of  their  meeting-houses  by  sepa- 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  I2j 

rating  at  the  door  and  seating  themselves  in  perfect  si- 
lence, the  gentlemen  on  one  side  of  the  room,  the  ladies 
on  the  other.  Order  was  strictly  observed,  and  the  per- 
formance was  allowed  to  proceed  to  its  conclusion  with- 
out the  slightest  interruption  of  applause  or  dissent. 

The  programme  will  be  found  on  the  following  page. 

During  the  evening  they  sang  a  number  of  negro 
melodies  .with  blackened  faces,  using  appropriate  dia- 
lect, and  accompanying  their  vocal  attempts  with  the 
somewhat  inharmonious  banjo  and  bones. 

In  1851  his  father's  being  announced  for  Richard 
III.  at  the  National  Theatre,  New  York,  led  indirectly 
to  Edwin's  attempting  that  character.  Mr.  Booth  had 
a  partiality  for  the  old  theatres  in  which  his  first  suc- 
cesses had  been  achieved,  and  his  preference  was 
extended  also  to  the  old,  dingy,  incommodious  hotels, 
wherein  he  submitted  to  every  inconvenience  rather 
than  patronize  new  establishments.  jOn  one  particular 
night,  as  he  and  his  son  were  preparing  to  go  to  the 
theatre,  he  suddenly  changed  his  mood  and  refused 
to  start,  saying  that  he  was  ill  and  unable  to  perform. 
Edwin  suggested  that  he  should  rouse  himself  for  the 
effort,  at  least  present  himself  at  the  theatre,  thinking 
that  when  within  the  building  he  would  forego  this 
strange  resolve.  He  reminded  his  father  how  well  he 
had  rehearsed  and  how  well  in  health  he  had  been  all 
day  ;  but  no  argument  could  move  him.  "  What  will 
they  do  without  you,  father?"  the  son  exclaimed  in 
despair.  "Who  can  they  substitute  at  the  last  mo- 
ment?" "Go  act  it  yourself,"  was  the  curt  response. 
After  some  further  altercation  the  father  insisted  that 


GRAND   DRAMATIC   FESTIVAL 

AT  THE  COURT-HOUSE  IN  BELAIR, 

Saturday,  August  2. 
In  compliance  with  the  request  of  several  gentlemen, 

MR.    EDWIN    BOOTH 

respectfully  informs  the  inhabitants  of  Belair  and  vicinity,  that 

he  will  give  one  entertainment  as  above,  in 

conjunction  with 

MR.   J.   S.   CLARKE. 

The  performance  will  consist  of 
SHAKSPERIAN   READINGS,  ETC. 


PART  FIRST. 

Selections  from  RICHARD  III. 

Richard  III Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Selections  from  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE. 

Shylock Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 

The  celebrated  Dagger  Scene  from  MACBETH. 

Macbeth Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Selections  from  Kotzebue's  STRANGER. 

The  Stranger Mr.  J.  S.  Clarlw. 

Hamlet's  Soliloquy  on  Death Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Selections  from  Otway's  tragedy  of  VENICE  PRESERVED. 

Jaffier Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 

Selections  from  RICHELIEU. 

Cardinal  Richelieu Mr.  E.  Booth. 

The  great  Quarrel  Scene  from  JULIUS  C-ESAR. 

Brutus Mr.  E:  Booth. 

Cassius Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


129 


his  son  should  assume  the  character  of  Richard  III. 
on  that  night.  The  carriage  had  been  waiting  for  a 
long  while  at  the  door,  with  the  trunk  of  stage-dresses 
strapped  upon  it.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  and 
Edwin  sprang  into  the  vehicle  and  drove  furiously  to 
the  theatre,  where,  on  arrival,  he  encountered  John  R. 
Scott.  In  great  dismay  he  related  his  father's  sudden 
freak.  "No  matter,"  replied  Scott  calmly,  "you  act 
it."  In  surprise  Edwin  exclaimed,  "  That  is  what  my 
father  said,  and  what  he  sent  me  here  to  do ;  but  it  is 
impossible,  —  I  cannot."  Entering  behind  the  scenes, 
he  was  quickly  surrounded  by  others,  who  urged  him 
to  "  try,"  promising  to  help  him  in  every  way,  to  make 
an  apology  to  the  audience,  etc.  It  resulted  in  these 
excited  people  dressing  him  in  his  father's  clothes, 
which,  for  his  slender  figure,  were  "  a  world  too  wide," 
while  some  one  with  book  in  hand  heard  him  repeat 
the  soliloquy.  All  was  bustle  and  confusion  behind 
the  curtain ;  the  theatre  in  front  was  densely  crowded, 
and  the  young  unwilling  substitute  was  hurried  to  the 
stage  entrance.  At  his  appearance  the  applause  rang 
out  in  a  wild  burst,  but  as  suddenly  ceased.  No  apol- 
ogy had  been  made,  and  in  astonished  silence  the 
spectators  allowed  the  play  to  begin  and  to  proceed. 
He,  who  had  absorbed  into  his  own  being  every  word, 
look,  and  tone  of  his  father,  soon  wrung  from  the  au- 
dience a  gratified  applause.  John  R.  Scott  showed 
great  concern  and  uneasiness  throughout  the  play, 
fearing  the  breaking  down  of  his  young  Richard ;  but 
in  answer  to  the  prolonged  call  at  the  close,  he  led  him 
proudly  before  the  curtain  and  introduced  him  as  "  the 


130 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


worthy  scion  of  a  noble  stock,"  adding,  sotto  voa, 
"  I'll  wager  they  don't  know  what  that  means." 

On  Edwin's  return  to  his  hotel  he  was  questioned 
coldly  by  his  father  as  to  his  success.  The  elder  Booth 
was  found  by  the  son  apparently  exactly  as  he  had  left 
him,  unchanged  in  mood  or  position ;  but  it  is  believed 
now  by  Edwin  that  he  had  witnessed  the  whole  of  the 
performance  of  Jtichard,  as  well  as  that  of  Trcsscl  on 
a  previous  occasion,  and  was  not  dissatisfied  with  the 
result. 

Edwin  Booth  soon  after  entered  into  an  engage- 
ment with  Theodore  Barton  of  Baltimore  to  play  any 
part  assigned  him  for  a  salary  of  six  dollars  a  week. 
Although  he  had  acted  in  tragedies  with  success,  con- 
sidering his  youth  and  want  of  training,  yet  in  minor 
characters  and  in  inferior  plays  he  proved  awkward, 
confused,  and  apparently  a  failure.  He  once  attempted 
a  part  in  pantomime  with  Madame  Ciocca ;  had  grace- 
ful pose  to  assume  and  airy  trivial  manners  to  simulate  ; 
but  he  did  everything  wrong,  filled  the  French  actress 
with  horror  at  his  gaucherie,  and  called  down  upon 
himself  her  abuse  in  broken  English.  In  the  year 
1852  the  elder  Booth  went  to  New  York,  intending  to 
start  for  California,  accompanied  by  his  son  Junius,  but 
in  consequence  of  illness  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Baltimore.  He  sailed  in  the  next  steamer  from  New 
York,  taking  Edwin  with  him,  whom  he  had  previously 
arranged  to  leave  at  home.  In  one  week  from  the 
date  of  starting  they  arrived  at  Aspinwall ;  then  pro- 
ceeded up  the  Chagres  River  to  Gorgona  on  a  flat- 
feoat  which  conveyed  the  passengers  and  their  luggage. 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  ^ 

They  slept  one  night  at  Gorgona,  and  proceeded  to 
cross  the  Isthmus  on  mules.  At  night  they  slept  in  a 
hut,  on  wine-casks  and  trunks,  covered  by  their  blan- 
kets ;  the  only  lady  of  the  party  occupied  a  hammock, 
and  each  man  lay  with  a  hand  under  his  pillow,  holding 
a  pistol.  Edwin,  sleepless,  watched  the  natives  sharp- 
ening their  macheetos,  —  or  long  knives  which  they  used 
to  cut  the  tall  grass  in  front  of  them  as  they  journeyed 
on  foot,  —  and  vainly  tried  to  understand  their  con- 
versation, which  was  carried  on  in  low  whispers.  The 
rats  ran  about  undisturbed  during  the  night,  and  the 
whole  party  rose  in  the  morning,  unrefreshed  by  their 
rest,  and  proceeded  on  mules.  The  elder  Booth 
prophesied  that  there  would  be  a  railroad  across  the 
Isthmus  before  many  years,  and  confidently  anticipated 
the  time  when  a  canal  would  connect  the  two  oceans. 

After  an  engagement  of  two  weeks  in  San  Francisco, 
Mr.  Booth  proceeded  to  Sacramento,  in  which  city,  on 
the  occasion  of  his  benefit,  he  acted  Richard  III. 
The  following  night  J.  B.  Booth,  Junior,  for  his  benefit, 
played  Othello,  and  his  father,  logo ;  and  the  following 
night  being  Edwin's  benefit,  he  acted  Jaffier  to  his 
father's  Pierre.  Arrayed  in  black  for  his  part  of  Jaf- 
fier,  Edwin  perceived  his  father  seated  on  the  steps  of 
his  dressing-room,  who  at  his  approach  observed,  "  You 
look  like  Hamlet ;  why  did  you  not  act  Hamlet  for  your 
benefit?"  Edwin  carelessly  replied,  "If  I  ever  have 
another,  I  will" 

Disappointed  at  finding  no  theatre  in  San  Francisco 
suitable  for  the  production  of  his  plays,  —  the  new  the- 
atre progressing  only  in  the  imagination  of  the  people, 


132 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


and  the  state  of  the  country  being  discouraging  in 
every  respect,  —  Mr.  Booth  determined  to  start  for 
New  York;  and,  being  assured  that  Edwin  had  re- 
solved to  become  an  actor,  he  would  not  consent 
to  allow  him  to  accompany  him  home,  but  advised 
him  to  remain  in  California  and  perfect  himself  in  his 
profession.  Although  proverbially  lavish  of  money  in 
cases  of  need  or  charity,  and  never  pressing  for  ready 
or  even  just  payment  of  a  loan,  it  seemed  harsh  that 
he  should  have  demanded  of  his  son  Junius,  who  had 
not  profited  greatly  by  the  transaction,  the  full  amount 
for  his  services,  according  to  their  agreement ;  but  he 
had  great  regard  for  the  law  of  equity,  even  with  his 
own  family,  his  severity  therein  being  a  principle,  as 
with  Hotspur :  — 

"  1 11  give  thrice  so  much  land 
To  any  well-deserving  friend ; 
But  in  the  way  of  bargain,  mark  ye  me, 
I  '11  cavil  on  the  ninth  part  of  a  hair." 

The  prosperous  state  of  theatrical  business  in  Califor- 
nia was  most  encouraging  when  the  offer  had  been  made 
and  accepted  between  son  and  father ;  but,  by  one  of 
those  sudden  reverses  in  financial  matters  that  occur  in 
newly  settled  countries,  an  unaccountable  depression 
had  changed  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs  almost  upon 
arrival  of  the  veteran  tragedian.  The  hard  times  so 
long  threatening  now  burst  in  terrible  earnest.  Men 
who  had  been  wealthy  a  few  weeks  previous,  ready  to 
squander,  to  lend,  or  to  give,  now  became  hard,  suspi- 
cious, and  grasping.  Edwin,  in  this  dilemma,  accepted 
a  proposition  of  Mr.  D.  W.  Waller  to  accompany  him 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


'33 


to  Nevada.  At  that  place  he  acted  logo  for  the  first 
time,  and  played  alternately  in  Nevada  and  Grass 
Valley. 

J.  B.  Booth,  Jr.,  had  said  to  Edwin,  at  parting, 
"  Put  a  slug  [which  was  a  large  octagonal  gold  piece 
of  fifty  dollars]  in  the  bottom  of  your  trunk,  forget  you 
have  it,  and  when  things  are  at  the  worst,  bring  out  the 
slug."  The  advice  was  followed ;  but  the  worst  soon 
came,  for  theatrical  affairs  were  in  a  most  disastrous 
condition  at  Nevada.  Ruin  and  starvation  were  the 
evils  that  oppressed  all  minds,  and  now  the  snow  fell 
unceasingly  until  the  travellers  were  completely  cut  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  theatre  had  been 
closed  for  a  fortnight  in  consequence  of  the  distressed 
state  of  these  towns. 

One  night,  as  Edwin  was  passing  along  a  dark  road 
where  the  houses  had  literally  been  undermined  by  the 
gold-diggers,  and  great  gulches  yawned  amidst  the 
slush  of  snow  and  mud,  rendering  pedestrianism  un- 
safe, he  came  face  to  face  with  a  man  carrying  a  lan- 
tern. By  its  glimmer  he  recognized  the  actor,  George 
Spear,  familiarly  called  "  Old  Spudge  "  (now  an  inmate 
of  the  Forrest  Home,  Philadelphia),  who  cried  out, 
"  Hollo  !  Ted,  is  that  you  ?  There  is  a  mail  in,"  he 
continued,  "  and  a  letter  for  you."  The  snow  had  pre- 
vented the  arrival  of  the  post  for  a  long  while  past,  but 
a  courier  had  at  last  broken  through  the  almost  im- 
penetrable mass,  and  on  horseback  arrived  with  the 
long- delayed  mail-bag. 

"What  news  is  there?"  asked  Edwin  carelessly. 
"  Not  good  news  for  you,  my  boy."  At  this  reply  the 


134 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


lad  seemed  to  detect  the  fatal  truth,  either  by  the  ac- 
cent or  hesitation  of  the  old  actor,  for  in  terror  he 
exclaimed,  "Spear,  is  my  father  dead?"  Gently  as 
possible  the  sad  story  was  told  him,  and  the  old  man, 
who  had  come  out  to  break  the  intelligence,  now  led 
the  half-distracted  son  to  the  hotel,  where  the  waiting 
group  of  friends  endeavored  to  calm  his  sorrow.  He 
was  stunned  by  the  blow,  and  they  could  not  under- 
stand how  deep  his  grief  was,  or  how  he  blamed  him- 
self for  having  allowed  his  father  to  undertake  the 
homeward  journey  alone. 

Poverty  and  utter  "  hard  times  "  settled  upon  the 
actors  in  desperate  reality.  They  were  helpless,  and 
dreaded  the  day  when  they  should  be  unable  even  to 
obtain  credit ;  the  cold  had  become  intense,  and  the 
snow  continued  to  fall  without  intermission. 

Every  man  —  ruffian,  gambler,  laborer,  and  scholar — 
was  on  terms  of  equality  at  that  time  in  Nevada ;  for  as 
Mr.  B.  L.  Farjeon  remarks,  in  his  interesting  story  of 
"  The  Shadows  on  the  Snow  Ranges,"  "  so  small  a  mat- 
ter as  one  being  born  a  gentleman  and  another  a  com- 
mon laborer  was  here  of  no  account." 

A  hopeless  group  stood  at  a  street  corner  one  day,  be- 
wailing their  condition,  when  it  was  casually  suggested 
that  they  should  walk  to  Marysville.  The  worst  that 
could  befall  in  the  adventure  would  be  no  worse  than 
the  misery  awaiting  them  here.  Two  or  three  men  ac- 
cepted the  proposition  of  one  who  immediately  consti- 
tuted himself  "  leader."  An  actor  named  Barry,  and 
Burridge,  a  musician,  whose  violin  had  comprised  the 
entire  orchestra  at  the  theatre,  decided  to  join  the  party. 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


'35 


Edwin,  sauntering  leisurely  up  to  this  group,  was  told 
of  their  intention,  and  consented  to  go  with  them  with- 
out reflecting  upon  the  fatigue  and  exposure  of  the 
undertaking.  Although  of  an  age  when  meagre  fare 
and  privation  might  seriously  have  undermined  a  con- 
stitution never  robust,  he  ventured  to  tramp  a  distance 
of  fifty  miles  across  the  mountains,  the  foremost  man 
breaking  the  road  through  the  drifts.  Two  days  of 
walking  through  heavy  snow  brought  them  at  night  to 
Marysville,  where  the  pedestrians  disbanded. 

Edwin  borrowed  ten  dollars  of  an  acquaintance,  with 
which  he  secured  passage  to  Sacramento.  On  arrival, 
he  found  that  the  city  had  been  destroyed  partially  by 
fire,  and  that  later  floods  had  set  in  and  swept  away 
nearly  everything  that  had  escaped  the  flames. 

Letters  from  home  awaited  him  at  San  Francisco, 
where  he  had  gone  at  once,  acquainting  him  with  the 
details  of  his  father's  death,  in  which  his  mother  advised 
him  and  his  brother  to  remain  in  California  if  they  con- 
sidered it  best  for  their  theatrical  future,  adding  that 
their  coming  home  would  not  be  of  any  avail ;  their 
father  was  buried,  and  the  family  intended  to  live  at  the 
Farm. 

J.  B.  Booth,  the  younger,  at  that  time  was  co- 
manager  with  the  Messrs.  Chapman,  and  was  able  to 
give  Edwin  an  engagement,  but  could  make  no  agree- 
ment allowing  him  a  fixed  salary,  business  being  still 
in  a  precarious  state.  With  this  poor  prospect  of  earn- 
ing a  living,  and  his  present  penniless  condition 
weighing  on  his  spirits,  he  met  an  acquaintance  who 
opportunely  remembered  that  Edwin  had  once  lent 


136  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

him  twenty  dollars,  and  who  was  now  eager  to  cancel 
the  debt.  This  state  of  affairs  ought  to  have  sharpened 
any  man's  memory,  but  Edwin  failed  to  recall  the  loan 
until  circumstances  related  by  his  debtor  brought  it  to 
his  mind  ;  for  it  had  been  made  in  those  days  of  plenty, 
not  long  departed,  when  no  one  asked  a  favor  or  a  loan 
in  vain.  Elated  by  the  possession  of  so  much  gold,  he 
thought  how  pleasant  it  was  to  be  able  to  send  part  of 
it  to  those  who  had  befriended  him,  and  in  whose  debt 
he  was,  and  how  sumptuously  too  he  would  fare  for  a 
time  on  the  remainder.  Walking  away  with  an  elas- 
ticity in  his  gait,  new  to  him  at  that  time  of  depression, 
he  met  a  companion  with  whom  he  turned  into  a  gam- 
bling saloon,  one  of  those  crowded  and  conveniently 
located  places  so  numerous  in  those  days.  Carelessly 
watching  men  throw  down  their  gold,  and  in  one  sweep 
of  the  hand  amassing  hundreds,  he  who  had  never  at- 
tempted a  game  before,  and  was  ignorant  of  the  mys- 
teries of  vingt-et-un,  staked  his  twenty-dollar  gold  piece 
only  to  see  it  deftly  swept  away  with  others  to  fill  the 
pockets  of  some  luckier  man.  In  despair  he  left  the 
place  and  has  never  since  been  tempted  to  gamble. 

Several  months  later  the  scene-painter,  Fairchild, 
who  was  to  have  a  benefit,  obtained  from  him  a 
promise  to  act  Richard  Iff.  J.  B.  Booth  tried  to 
dissuade  him  from  the  undertaking,  advising  him  to 
become  better  acquainted  with  the  public,  and  to  play 
more  romantic  parts  suited  to  his  age  and  appearance, 
rather  than  undertake  so  arduous  a  role.  Edwin,  how- 
ever, resolved  to  make  the  attempt.  A  crowded  house 
and  an  enthusiastic  audience  received  him ;  he  acted 


THE    YOUXGER  BOOTH.  137 

finely,  and  was  told  afterward  that  throughout  the  per- 
formance a  tall  dark  man  stood  behind  the  scenes 
watching  him  intently.  This  proved  to  be  Ferdinand 
Ewer,  then  editor  of  the  Pioneer,  a  monthly  magazine, 
(but  at  present  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  New  York,) 
who  on  that  occasion  penned  the  first  criticism  that 
had  ever  been  written  of  Edwin  Booth's  acting.  The 
great  success  of  this  performance  induced  the  managers 
to  deviate  from  their  original  intention,  that  of  devoting 
their  theatre  to  comedy ;  and  they  proposed  to  Booth 
the  production  of  other  tragedies,  particularly  of 
"  Hamlet."  He  steadily  resisted  every  inducement  to 
perform  that  character,  but  personated  many  others 
with  great  success,  among  which  were  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer,  Shylock,  Richard  III.,  and  Othello.  Finally 
a  benefit  was  tendered  him,  on  which  occasion  he 
played  Hamlet.  The  words  once  spoken  carelessly  to 
his  father  had  assumed  the  sacredness  of  a  promise  :  — 

"Thy  commandment  all  alone  shall  live 
Within  the  book  and  volume  of  my  brain, 
Unmixed  with  baser  matter." 

One  can  imagine  with  what  intensity  of  feeling,  as  he 
thought  of  his  father,  he  spoke  the  lines,  which  had 
acquired  for  him  a  powerful  significance,  — 

"  He  was  a  man,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
I  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again." 

A  conservative  spirit  seems  to  have  taken  possession 
of  the  adventurous  people  of  California,  for  they  culti- 
vated a  feeling  of  exclusiveness,  which  led  them  almost 
to  ignore  the  existence  of  what  had  become  to  them 


138  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

the  old  world,  designated  colloquially  "the  States." 
They  would  push  onward  to  Australia  and  distant  parts, 
but  rarely  turned  homeward  even  to  better  their  con- 
dition ;  hence  it  is  not  so  remarkable  that  no  enter- 
prising manager  had,  at  the  height  of  Edwin  Booth's 
popularity,  with  the  name  of  the  father  still  warm  in 
the  hearts  of  playgoers  in  "  the  States,"  induced  him 
to  return  and  establish  himself  at  once  in  the  position 
he  afterward  attained.  Instead  of  this,  his  name  was 
put  in  the  bills  when  the  "  business  "  was  on  the  de- 
cline, and  it  very  rarely  proved  ineffectual  to  draw  large 
audiences ; .  but  meanwhile  he  was  drifting  into  a  kind 
of  stock-star,  on  a  pittance  of  salary. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Forrest  Sinclair  came  from  the  East 
and  opened  the  new  theatre  on  its  completion,  Edwin 
playing  secondary  parts  to  her.  Mr.  James  Murdock 
and  Laura  Keene  followed,  the  latter  attributing  her 
failure  to  "  Edwin  Booth's  bad  acting."  There  sprang 
up  between  this  lady  and  himself  a  mutual  dislike 
which  culminated  in  something  like  hatred ;  but  the 
duties  of  theatrical  life  exacted  that  they  should  appear 
upon  the  stage  together. 

Mr.  D.  C.  Anderson,  a  kind,  genial  gentleman  and 
actor,  congratulated  himself  and  Edwin,  whom  he 
learned  to  love  as  a  son,  upon  their  good  resolutions  to 
be  temperate,  virtuous,  and  domestic.  They  bought  a 
plot  of  ground,  seventy-five  by  two  hundred  feet  in  ex- 
tent, which  they  satirically  called  the  "  Ranch,"  and  in 
a  small  house  of  two  rooms  they  lived,  doing  all  their 
own  work,  domestic  and  menial.  This  veteran  actor 
remarked  recently,  in  speaking  to  the  writer  of  Edwin 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOT  If.  139 

Booth,  that  "  he  believed  him  to  be  the  noblest  speci- 
men of  man  God  ever  created."  Years  and  changes 
had  not  diminished  his  admiration  for  the  boy  whom 
he  had  so  lovingly  taken  under  his  protection. 

In  the  year  1854  James  Stark,  a  famous  tragedian 
of  California,  had  returned  from  Australia  with  glowing 
accounts  of  its  prosperity  and  wealth.  Mr.  Anderson 
urged  Booth  to  make  a  professional  visit  to  that  coun- 
try, and  eventually  arrangements  were  made  to  that 
effect.  The  idea  prevailed  that  there  were  no  actresses 
in  Australia,  and  as  Mr.  Anderson  had  been  informed 
that  Miss  Laura  Keene  was  desirous  of  going  there, 
without  letting  her  intention  be  known  to  certain  per- 
sons in  San  Francisco,  he  entered  into  an  engagement 
with  her  to  act  with  Booth.  Miss  Keene,  asserting  that 
tragedy  was  her  forte,  that  she  acted  comedy  merely 
through  necessity,  and  would  adopt  tragedy  gladly 
if  offered  the  opportunity,  readily  consented.  It  was 
settled  between  Mr.  Anderson  and  the  lady  that  she 
was  to  go  on  board  the  ship  at  night,  and  they  were 
to  sail  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  captain 
missed  the  tide  and  was  obliged  to  delay  until  the 
afternoon.  In  the  mean  time,  as  afterward  transpired, 
the  captain's  wife,  who  had  been  a  governess,  an  ac- 
tress, and  later  a  lodging-house  keeper,  was  commanded 
by  her  husband  to  get  a  fresh  wardrobe,  let  her  house, 
and  sail  with  him  to  Australia,  whereupon  Mr.  Booth 
would  be  compelled  to  engage  her  in  default  of  other 
female  support.  A  Mr.  Evans,  moved  by  the  same 
speculative  idea,  brought  his  wife  aboard ;  the  three 
ladies  concealed  themselves  in  their  respective  cabins, 


140  THE   YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

and  the  scene,  when  they  met  and  realized  the  absur- 
dity of  the  position,  was  as  amusing  as  any  in  which 
the  dramatis  persona  had  ever  acted  on  a  mimic  stage. 

On  arriving  at  Sydney,  the  destination  of  the  vessel, 
Booth  entered  into  an  engagement  with  Manager  Torn- 
ing  and  played  Shylock  to  Miss  Keene's  Portia.  His 
performance  of  Richard  III.  was  enthusiastically  re- 
ceived. They  went  thence  to  Melbourne,  where  but 
few  performances  were  given ;  the  dull  state  of  every 
kind  of  business  materially  affecting  the  theatres.  Booth 
had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Hamilton  and  his 
wife  (who  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hamblin,  at  one 
time  a  manager  of  the  Bowery  Theatre,  New  York,  and 
a  very  celebrated  actor),  and  an  old  Irish  comedian 
named  "  Clem  "  White.  These  people  were  unable  to 
obtain  engagements  and  undecided  as  to  their  future 
course  ;  however,  at  the  last  moment,  they  determined 
to  return  to  San  Francisco,  Edwin  accompanying  them. 

Acting  companies,  leaving  the  last-mentioned  city  en 
route  for  Australia,  not  unfrequently  stopped  at  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.  The  vessel  on  this  occasion  for  some  rea- 
son put  in  at  Honolulu,  and  Booth  and  Mr.  Anderson 
decided  to  give  an  entertainment  there  rather  than  go 
back  to  San  Francisco  without  money.  An  agreement 
was  effected  between  the  five  professionals,  and  the 
Royal  Hawaiian  Theatre  was  secured,  for  which  Booth 
paid  all  the  money  he  possessed,  fifty  dollars,  in  ad- 
vance, for  one  month's  rent.  They  were  joined  by  two 
actors,  scarcely  less  needy  than  themselves,  who  had 
been  left  at  the  Island  by  a  strolling  company  some 
months  before.  The  theatre  was  constructed  by  sev- 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  141 

eral  houses  being  thrown  into  one  building,  and  the 
company,  comprising  seven  persons,  slept  in  the  thea- 
tre, which  saved  the  rent  for  lodgings.  One  of  the 
actors,  Mr.  Roe,  was  a  short,  thick-set  Dutchman,  of 
unprepossessing  countenance,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  play  female  roles,  and  who  undertook  the 
same  line  to  support  Booth,  "  doubling  "  the  characters 
of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  and  Duchess  of  York.  The 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  had  lately  died,  and,  the 
court  being  in  mourning,  his  successor  was  unable  to 
attend  the  theatre  publicly ;  but,  expressing  a  desire 
to  witness  Booth's  performance  of  Richard  III.,  his 
Majesty  was  accommodated  behind  the  scenes.  The 
arm-chair  used  for  the  stage-throne  was  placed  at  the 
wing,  with  Edwin's  theatrical  robe  thrown  over  it,  and 
the  king  seated  himself  upon  it ;  his  escort,  who  were 
a  Frenchman  and  a  huge  Kanaka,  the  latter  wearing  a 
military  jacket,  white  trousers,  and  a  long  sword,  stood 
by  his  side.  Edwin  was  compelled  to  trouble  the  king 
for  the  throne  in  the  coronation  scene,  and  his  Majesty 
good-naturedly  stood  until  it  was  returned  for  his  use." 
Kamehameha  IV.  was  an  educated  gentleman,  speaking 
English  fluently ;  he  told  Edwin  that  when  he  was  a 
little  boy  he  had  seen  the  elder  Booth  perform  Richard 
III.  at  the  Chatham  Theatre  in  New  York. 

A  letter  from  Mrs.  Sinclair  greeted  Booth  on  his 
arrival  at  San  Francisco,  offering  him  an  engagement 
to  play  with  her  at  her  own  theatre,  the  Metropolitan ; 
he  accepted,  and  his  personation  of  Benedict  to  Mrs. 
Sinclair's  Rosalind  was  enthusiastically  received  by  a 
large  audience.  The  "  business,"  at  first  most  gratify- 


142  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH, 

ing,  began  to  decline,  in  consequence  of  which  he 
accepted  an  offer  to  act  at  the  American  Theatre  in 
the  same  city,  where  he  performed  nightly  to  crowded 
houses.  Seceding  from  this  theatre,  he  went  with  a 
company  to  Sacramento,  enrolling  himself  as  "  juvenile 
man  " ;  but,  the  business  proving  a  disappointment  to 
the  manager,  he  engaged  one  of  his  company  to  enact 
his  own  parts  and  assume  the  juvenile  characters  as 
well,  so  that  Booth  was  discharged  in  order  to  curtail 
the  expenses.  Mr.  Sedley  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  were  about 
securing  a  theatre  in  Sacramento  for  the  production  of 
some  very  attractive  pieces,  and  now  made  him  an  offer 
to  become  a  joint-lessee  with  themselves  and  a  Mr. 
Venua.  Accordingly,  a  shabby  little  theatre  in  a  back 
street  was  leased,  where  the  play  of  "The  Marble  Heart " 
was  produced  for  the  first  time  in  America.  Mrs.  Sin- 
clair distinguished  herself  by  her  performance  of Marco; 
but  the  character  of  Volage  was  claimed  by  Sedley  and 
Booth,  and  finally  decided  by  the  toss  of  a  penny,  fall- 
ing to  Mr.  Sedley.  "  Fortunately  for  all  concerned," 
Booth  remarked,  "  for  he  acted  the  part  finely ;  much 
better  than  I  could  have  done  it."  Edwin  took  the 
character  of  Raphael,  in  which  he  made  a  marked 
success ;  and,  according  to  theatrical  technicality,  he 
created  the  part.  The  long-continued  success  of  "  The 
Marble  Heart "  was  the  means  of  closing  the  Forrest 
Theatre  from  which  he  had  been  discharged.  Not- 
withstanding the  increasing  popularity  of  the  piece,  the 
management  gave  up  the  lease  of  the  house  and  trav- 
elled through  other  towns  to  produce  it.  The  com- 
bination did  not  meet  with  the  anticipated  success, 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  143 

however,  and  after  visiting  several  towns  it  ultimately 
disbanded  at  San  Francisco. 

Booth  now  joined  a  company  of  eight  or  ten  per- 
sons to  go  through  the  mining  towns ;  he  travelled  on 
his  own  horse,  while  the  manager  and  his  wife,  the 
company,  scenery,  and  wardrobe,  were  transported  in  a 
large  covered  wagon.  Some  of  the  "  towns  "  through 
which  they  passed  were  composed  of  a  few  huts,  the 
theatre  being  usually  a  hall  over  a  shop ;  other  places 
contained  respectable  houses,  and  occasionally  a  small 
convenient  theatre  was  to  be  obtained.  The  standard 
bill  with  this  company  was  the  "  Iron  Chest "  and 
"  Katherine  and  Petruchio."  Booth's  dress-basket  was 
covered  with  canvas,  painted  to  represent  an  "  iron 
chest,"  and  served  for  that  important  "  property."  The 
promiscuous  population  of  the  mines  and  huts  who 
could  enjoy  Shaksperian  productions  and  the  plays  of 
the  best  authors  was  not  to  be  treated  slightingly.  No 
curtailment  or  glossing  over  of  speeches  would  be  per- 
mitted by  the  people,  who  walked  miles  to  have  their 
evening's  amusement  conscientiously  given. 

After  acting  in  several  of  the  mining  towns,  and  at 
one  place  being  compelled  to  leave  his  horse  in  pay- 
ment of  a  debt,  Booth  arrived  penniless  in  Sacramento. 
He  there  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Butler,  an 
architect,  who  manifested  great  interest  in  his  career, 
and  urged  him  not  to  waste  any  more  time  in  California, 
but  to  return  to  the  States.  He  told  him  that  Booth- 
royd  Fairclough  was  attempting  to  take  the  position 
that  should  be  his ;  that  now,  while  his  father's  memory 
was  dear  to  the  American  heart,  he  alone  should  assume 


144  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

the  vacant  place.  He  had  but  one  reply,  —  the  want 
of  money ;  although  in  his  own  mind  he  did  not  aspire 
to  equal  his  father  or  consider  himself  worthy  or  capa- 
ble of  doing  so. 

That  his  impecuniosity  should  not  deter  Edwin 
Booth  from  asserting  his  inherited  right  to  fame,  this 
enthusiastic  friend  arranged  a  benefit  for  him.  It 
proved  a  great  success.  He  made  a  farewell  speech 
before  a  sympathetic  audience,  and  was  presented  with 
a  pin  of  California  gold  representing  a  wrist  and  hand, 
the  finger  and  thumb  of  which  held  a  valuable  diamond. 
The  next  day  his  debts  were  cancelled,  and  every  bill 
paid ;  but  he  found  by  these  proceedings  that  his  money 
was  entirely  expended.  Mr.  Butler  suggested  another 
benefit,  which  Edwin  opposed.  Mr.  Butler  insisted, 
however,  claiming  that  the  enthusiasm  of  the  previous 
occasion  would  warrant  it,  and  he  cleverly  arranged 
that  actors  should  come  from  San  Francisco  to  lend 
their  services.  The  second  farewell  was  given  to  an 
overflowing  house,  and  Booth  was  to  leave  for  San 
Francisco  the  following  day.  Crowds  assembled  to 
see  him  go  on  board,  the  band  from  the  theatre  was 
present  to  testify  good-will,  the  captain  made  the  young 
actor  stand  in  a  prominent  position  to  be  visible  to 
those  who  wished  him  again  and  again  "  God  speed." 
Confusion,  noisy  farewells,  and  music  filled  the  air; 
nothing  was  wanting  to  complete  the  sense  of  satis- 
faction excepting  Mr.  Butler  with  the  night's  receipts. 
It  was  a  harassing  ordeal  for  the  recipient  of  this  gen- 
erous ovation,  but  good  wishes  will  not  fill  an  empty 
pocket ;  and,  as  Rousseau  says,  "  A  crust  of  bread  and 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOT]!.  145 

a  bit  of  money  are  worth  more  than  God  bless  you." 
Fortunately,  at  the  very  point  of  the  given  time  when 
the  gang-plank  was  about  to  be  hauled  in,  a  man's 
voice  vociferously  calling  for  delay  was  heard,  and  in 
a  moment  Mr.  Butler,  wildly  gesticulating,  rushed  amid 
the  crowd  with  the  missing,  and  by  him  until  then  for- 
gotten, bag  of  gold. 

At  San  Francisco  Booth  had  a  farewell  benefit,  act- 
ing Lear  for  the  first  time.  He  crossed  the  Isthmus 
by  the  railroad  which  was  then  finished,  and  engaged 
his  passage  on  the  "  Illinois,"  —  the  same  steamer  in 
which  he  had  left  home  with  his  father. 

He  had  sent  an  agent  ahead  to  make  engagements 
for  him,  with  the  strict  injunction  to  avoid  the  Front 
Street  Theatre,  Baltimore,  but  to  negotiate  an  open- 
ing at  the  Holliday,  in  the  same  city.  On  arrival,  he 
found  that  he  was  announced  to  appear  at  the  Front 
Street  Theatre,  engagements  in  New  York  having  been 
entirely  forgotten. 

He  went  at  once  to  the  Farm  in  Maryland,  where  he 
met  with  a  hearty  welcome.  The  country  lads  who 
carried  in  his  trunks  shook  their  heads  knowingly  at 
the  weight  of  the  supposed  contents,  saying,  "He's 
from  the  diggin's."  He  had  come  back  older  in  expe- 
rience only,  for  he  looked  like  a  boy  still,  and  very 
fragile  ;  his  wild  black  eyes  and  long  locks  gave  him  an 
air  of  melancholy.  He  had  the  gentle  dignity  and  in- 
herent grace  that  one  attributes  to  a  young  prince,  yet 
he  was  merry,  cheerful,  and  boyish  in  disposition,  as 
one  can  imagine  Hamlet  to  have  been  in  the  days  be- 
fore the  tragedy  was  enacted  in  the  orchard. 


146  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

He  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  rest  among  his  own 
family  at  the  Farm,  and  in  a  short  time  opened  at  the 
Front  Street  Theatre,  Baltimore,  in  the  character  of 
Richard  III. 

He  also  acted  under  J.  T.  Ford's  management  at 
Washington  and  Richmond,  Va.,  Joseph  Jefferson  be- 
ing the  stage-manager  at  the  last-named  city.  It  was 
here  that  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  Dev- 
lin, whom  he  afterwards  married.  On  a  tour  arranged 
for  him  by  his  agent  he  played  in  the  principal  South- 
ern and  Southwestern  cities,  establishing  himself  as  an 
universal  favorite.  As  previously  mentioned,  he  con- 
ceived that  after  the  glow  of  excitement  consequent  on 
his  assuming  the  characters  of  the  elder  Booth  should 
have  abated,  he  must  naturally  sink  into  the  position  of 
leading  man  at  one  of  the  New  York  theatres.  He  was 
diffident  of  his  own  power,  y*et  from  the  first  he  set  him- 
self earnestly  to  eradicate  from  his  acting  every  tinge  of 
what  he  considered  an  imitation  of  his  father.  Schlegel 
says  :  "  Mere  imitation  is  always  fruitless ;  even  what 
we  borrow  from  others,  to  assume  a  true,  practical  shape, 
must,  as  it  were,  be  born  again  within  us.  Of  what 
avail  is  all  foreign  imitation  ?  Art  cannot  exist  without 
nature,  and  man  can  give  nothing  to  his  fellow-man  but 
himself." 

However  one  might  grow  to  love  even  the  peculiari- 
ties of  a  favorite,  yet  it  was  these  very  mannerisms,  ef- 
fective and  graceful  though  they  were  in  the  elder 
Booth,  that  the  younger  strove  studiously  to  avoid,  for 
he  knew  they  would  be  quickly  detected  and  used  in 
the  criticisms  against  him ;  but  there  were  that  same 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  147 

upright  bearing  and  rapidity  of  graceful  motion,  there 
were  tones  of  voice,  clarion-like,  sonorous,  and  inex- 
pressibly sweet,  that  no  art  could  copy :  nature  herself 
transmitted  them  ;  they  were  her  dower.  He  never 
was  a  copyist  of  his  father.  A  jealous  analyst  could 
discover,  even  at  that  early  stage  of  his  theatrical  ca- 
reer, evidences  of  an  originality  in  conception  and 
portrayal  which  he  asserted  would  attain  softness  and' 
elegance  with  the  thoughtfulness  of  years.  This  consci- 
entious student  of  men,  of  nature,  and  of  Shakspere  has 
well  fulfilled  the  prediction. 

Laura  Keene,  as  if  to  confirm  the  opinion  he  held  of 
his  own  ability,  offered  him  the  position  of  leading  man 
at  her  theatre  in  New  York ;  but  his  continued  suc- 
cesses had  aroused  the  ambition  of  others,  if  not  of 
himself,  and  it  was  decided  that  he  should  hold  his 
place  as  a  "  star."  As  an  incentive  to  that  ambition 
came  an  offer  from  Thomas  Barry,  a  veteran  manager 
of  old  Park  fame,  for  him  to  appear  at  the  Boston  The- 
atre. In  spite  of  all  that  he  had  achieved  he  was  not 
satisfied  of  his  own  merit,  for  he  still  lacked  the  in- 
dorsement of  Boston  criticism  which  he  considered 
necessary.  Through  a  dearth  of  tragedians,  comedy 
reigned  in  New  York ;  managers  had  conceived  the  idea 
that  tragedy  was  ruinous  to  business,  and  the  fancy  of 
the  day  was  to  ignore  Shakspere.  William  E.  Burton, 
the  comedian,  was  at  that  time  the  manager  of  the  Met- 
ropolitan, afterward  known  as  the  Winter  Garden  The- 
atre, and  through  his  business  manager  he  arranged  with 
Booth's  agent  to  bring  him  to  the  Metropolitan  when 
his  Boston  engagement  should  have  ended.  In  ac- 


148  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

cepting  the  proposal,  he  emphatically  stipulated  that 
he  would  open  with  "  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts," 
reserving  his  reason  for  doing  so.  The  elder  Booth 
had  so  essentially  identified  himself  with  the  character 
of  Richard  III.  that  Edwin  wished  to  avoid  a  compar- 
ison which  he  felt  would  be  detrimental  to  himself; 
and  moreover,  in  the  quiet  scenes  of  Sir  Giles,  he 
could  feel  his  way,  gradually  centre  the  interest  of  his 
audience,  and,  while  working  on  their  sympathy,  reserve 
his  force  for  the  powerful  culmination.  He  would  be 
modestly  announced,  —  no  loud-sounding  allusion  to 
his  inherited  name  and  fame,  —  for  he  designed  to  win, 
not  startle,  his  audiences. 

He  proceeded  to  Boston,  and  opened  as  Sir  Giles. 
It  was  a  cold,  dreary  night,  and  he  had  a  thin  house. 
Many  white-haired  men  were  in  the  parquette,  which 
contained  more  of  the  passing  than  the  present  genera- 
tion. On  the  entrance  of  Allworth,  the  modest  person- 
ator  of  that  character  was  startled  by  vigorous  applause 
from  the  audience,  which,  with  the  laugh  that  followed 
on  discovery  of  the  mistake,  succeeded  in  taking  away 
his  power  of  speech.  When  Sir  Giles  appeared  loud 
and  prolonged  applause  greeted  him ;  then  (as  he  de- 
scribed it)  the  people  braced  themselves,  self-satisfied, 
in  their  seats,  as  if  to  say,  Now,  young  man,  let  us  see 
what  you  can  do  for  yourself.  The  play  proceeded 
quietly  until  the  fourth  act,  when  the  player  was  on  his 
mettle,  for  he  felt  that  evening  to  be  the  turning-point 
in  his  career,  — 

"  This  is  the  night 
That  cither  makes  me,  or  fordoes  me  quite." 


THE    YOUXGER  BOOTH.  149 

This  Boston  indorsement  was  to  decide  his  future ; 
and  with  a  nervous  calm  he  reserved  himself  for  the  last 
great  scenes.  The  effect  was  electrifying,  the  call  gen- 
uine and  spontaneous  ;  he  knew  his  power,  and  felt  that 
he  was  safe.  The  next  day  his  pronounced  success  was 
universally  acknowledged,  and  the  press  was  unanimous 
in  his  praise.  No  other  city  had  as  yet  adopted  the 
custom  of  giving  matinees,  but  the  Saturday  morning 
performance  had  long  been  the  established  rule  in  Bos- 
ton, where  all  places  of  amusement  were  closed  on  Sat- 
urday nights.  Booth's  engagement,  which  had  been  in 
every  respect  successful,  terminated  with  a  matine'e, 
during  which  his  agent  had  brought  him  a  telegraphic 
despatch  from  the  New  York  acting-manager :  "  Mr. 
Booth  announced  for  Richard  III.  next  Monday.  Seats 
going  like  hot  cakes." 

Annoyed  and  disappointed  at  this  violation  of  his  ex- 
press orders,  he  left  Boston  in  no  enviable  mood,  and  ar- 
rived in  New  York  on  Sunday  morning.  In  shame  and 
indignation  at  the  vulgar  bombast  which  would  be  attrib- 
uted to  him,  he  read  on  every  available  space  his  own 
name,  coupled  with  such  glaring  sentences  as,  "  Hope 
of  the  living  drama  !  "  "  Son  of  the  Great  Tragedian  !  " 
"  Richard  's  himself  again  !  "  and  that  hackneyed  allu- 
sion to  the  "  mantle  falling  on  worthy  shoulders,"  which 
poetic  garment  never  so  sadly  hampered  his  individu- 
ality as  now ;  for  if,  as  it  is  said,  "  every  man  builds 
his  own  monument,"  then  for  him  who  is  "born  great" 
there  can  be  little  scope  for  ambition  or  achievement. 
Yet  it  was  with  more  earnestness  than  ever  that  he 
studied  for  himself  the  hidden  beauties  of  Shakspere, 


150  THE    YOUXGER  BOOTH. 

whereas  but  for  these  difficulties  to  surmount  he  might 
have  been  less  close  a  student,  less  meditative  a  scholar. 
He  obeyed  a  Baconian  precept,  and  read  "  not  to  con- 
tradict nor  to  believe,  but  to  weigh  and  consider." 

He  opened  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  May,  1857. 
Expectation  was  at  its  height  to  witness  the  perform- 
ance of  this  well-advertised  prodigy  of  genius,  whose 
serious  and  modest  demeanor,  however,  did  not  co- 
incide with  the  idea  of  the  vainglorious  young  actor 
who  was  coming  to  demand  rather  than  deserve  ap- 
plause. He  pleased  thoroughly  by  his  Spartan-like  ac- 
tion, his  grave  and  sententious  speech,  no  less  than  by 
his  grace  and  passion ;  and,  in  spite  of  glaring  town- 
posters,  his  name  on  calendars,  cards,  and  shop  orna- 
ments, he  gained  a  hold  on  the  theatre-going  public 
which  he  never  forfeited  or  lost.  In  the  company 
were  many  distinguished  names :  John  Gilbert,  Daniel 
Setchell,  Mark  Smith,  Charles  Fisher,  and  Lawrence 
Barrett. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  Booth  visited  Bal- 
timore, Richmond,  Charleston,  Savannah,  Memphis, 
Mobile,  Montgomery,  St.  Louis,  and  Louisville. 

In  the  following  winters  he  travelled  through  the 
Southern  and  Southwestern  States.  On  one  occasion 
he  was  crowned  with  laurel,  and  after  a  representation 
of  Richelieu,  in  answer  to  an  enthusiastic  call,  the  cur: 
tain  rose,  and  the  stage  became  literally  strewn  with 
garlands  and  bouquets ;  to  one  of  the  latter  was  at- 
tached a  leather  bag  containing  five  hundred  dollars  in 
gold.  His  first  engagement  in  Chicago  was  at  M'Vick- 
er's  Theatre,  and  at  that  time  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  his  present  wife,  then  a  child. 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  151 

A  series  of  thoughtfully  written  criticisms  appeared 
in  the  New  York  Sunday  Times  over  the  nom  de plume 
of  "Vagabond."  These  were  subsequently  collected 
and  edited  in  book  form  by  the  author,  Adam  Badeau, 
who  became  during  the  civil  war  an  aide-de-camp  of 
General  Grant,  and  afterward  biographer  of  the  soldier- 
President. 

In  the  year  1857  Booth  fulfilled  an  engagement  at 
the  Howard  Athenaeum,  Boston,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  E.  L.  Davenport.  Lawrence  Barrett  and  John 
McCullough  were  in  the  company.  At  this  period  he 
began  altering  and  revising  certain  of  his  plays,  "  Ham- 
let "  especially  occupying  his  attention.  Costumes  and 
scenery,  as  well  as  stage  business,  received  his  particu- 
lar care,  while  a  new  reading  would  suggest  itself  or 
comprehension  of  a  thought  would  develop  fresh  mean- 
ing to  his  active  mind.  These  plays  as  arranged  by 
him,  with  many  embellishments,  excisions,  and  curtail- 
ments, were  the  fruit  of  much  serious  labor  and  research, 
neither  study,  energy,  nor  expense  being  spared  in  their 
preparation.  It  was  the  conscientious  effort  of  the  actor 
to  render  his  versions  concise,  clear,  and  authentic,  with- 
out marring  their  beauty  or  deteriorating  from  their 
grandeur.  This  attractive  series  of  "  Edwin  Booth's 
Prompt  Books  "  was  edited  by  William  Winter  in  1878, 
with  preface,  appendix,  and  observations  by  that  gen- 
tleman, and  relative  quotations  from  criticisms  by  the 
best  Shaksperian  scholars. 

During  a  lucrative  engagement  at  New  Orleans  in 
1858,  Mr.  Booth  was  the  recipient  of  a  costly  service 
of  plate  consisting  of  a  salver,  pitcher,  and  two  goblets. 


152  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

At  Charleston  he  was  presented  with  a  similar  token  of 
regard.  In  1860  he  married  Miss  Mary  Devlin,  who 
had  retired  from  the  stage  the  previous  year ;  he  then 
determined  to  travel  less,  leaving  the  Southern  and 
Western  States  to  his  younger  brother  and  confining 
himself  to  the  Eastern  cities.  He  had  become  the 
most  popular  tragedian  in  the  United  States.  Edwin 
Forrest  was  waning  in  power,  and  Edwin  Booth,  now 
at  the  acme  of  a  fame  deservedly  won,  had  not  only 
in  the  opinion  of  friends,  but  in  the  estimation  of  the 
people,  "  achieved  greatness  !  "  That  magnetic  power 
which  enchains  the  ear  and  rivets  the  eye  was  not  an 
acquirement ;  no  practice,  study,  or  artifice  could  teach 
him  that  which  was  indisputably  a  gift  and  an  inheri- 
tance ;  but  custom  and  conscientious  thought  helped 
him  not  only  to  idealize  but  to  subdue  his  nature  and 
exalt  his  passions,  so  that  he  was  in  turn  each  person  he 
portrayed. 

An  adaptation  by  Mr.  Tom  Taylor  of  "Le  Roi 
s'Amuse,"  entitled  "The  Fool's  Revenge,"  had  been 
sent  to  Joseph  Jefferson  from  England.  He  took  it  to 
Mrs.  Booth,  telling  her  to  insist  on  Edwin's  looking  at  it, 
the  character  being  tragic  and  not  suited  to  a  comedian. 
Booth  studied  the  part  and  performed  it  several  times, 
but  failed  to  satisfy  himself  with  his  rendition  or  clearly 
to  demonstrate  his  own  conception  of  the  character.  In 
this  year,  1860,  he  acted  in  it  with  great  success,  how- 
ever, in  all  the  cities  that  he  visited  with  the  exception 
of  New  York.  He  now  applied  himself  to  reconsider 
the  character,  which  he  felt  had  not  received  justice 
from  his  interpretation,  and  finally  made  an  alteration 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  153 

of  the  last  act.  He  performed  Bertuccio  at  the  Arch 
Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  under  Wheatley  and 
Clarke's  management.  As  he  acted  he  seemed  to 
realize  the  full  force  of  the  character,  and  for  the  first 
time  he  delineated  satisfactorily  to  himself  the  perfect 
pathos  and  passion  of  the  part. 

Miss  Charlotte  Cushman  and  Edwin  Booth  gave  ten 
performances  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  Philadelphia, 
commencing  Dec.  31,  1860.  They  played  Wolsey  and 
Queen  Katherint  in  "  Henry  VIII.,"  Macbeth  and  Lady 
Macbeth,  Shylock  and  Portia,  Katherine  and  Petru- 
chio,  to  crowded  houses.  Miss  Cushman  observed, 
"  that,  judging  from  Mr.  Booth's  rehearsal  of  Macbeth, 
he  had  a  refined  and  very  intellectual  conception  of 
the  character ;  but  she  begged  him  to  remember  that 
Macbeth  was  the  grandfather  of  all  the  Bowery  villains." 
Booth  differed  from  her  on  many  points,  and  declined 
to  depart  from  his  own  conception  of  the  role. 

In  a  discussion  with  Henry  Tuckerman  of  New  York, 
on  the  character  of  Hamlet,  that  gentleman,  who  had 
witnessed  many  of  the  old  actors,  observed  to  Booth 
that  they  all  stood  during  the  soliloquies,  and  inquired 
if  it  were  not  possible  to  alter  this.  On  the  next  repre- 
sentation of  "  Hamlet,"  Booth,  seated,  began  the  solil- 
oquy "  To  be,  or  not  to  be."  Mr.  Tuckerman,  watching 
the  play,  could  not  conceive  how  Hamlet  could  rise 
from  that  chair  with  propriety  and  grace.  When  at  the 
words,  "  to  sleep,  perchance  to  dream,"  after  an  instant 
of  reflection,  during  which  the  mind  of  Hamlet  had 
penetrated  the  eternal  darkness  vivid  with  dreams,  he 
rose  with  the  horror  of  that  terrible  "  perchance " 


154  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

stamped  upon  his  features,  continuing,  "  Ay,  there  's 
the  rub  ! "  His  friend  was  satisfied  that  the  actor  had 
caught  the  inspiration  of  the  lines  in  that  reflective 
pause.  Booth  also  introduced  sitting  on  the  tomb  in 
the  graveyard  when,  with  his  face  half  buried  on  Hora- 
tio's shoulder,  he  speaks,  as  if  to  his  own  heart,  the 
words,  "What!  the  fair  Ophelia?"  His  resting  pre- 
viously on  the  tomb  is  most  natural  and  graceful,  and, 
imbued  with  these  qualities,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  effective. 

During  the  summer  of  1861,  while  on  a  fishing  ex- 
cursion with  friends  in  the  White  Mountains,  Booth 
received  a  letter  from  the  agent  of  Mr.  Buckstone 
inviting  him  to  act  in  London  at  the  Haymarket  Thea- 
tre. He  replied,  accepting  the  offer,  and  prepared  to 
sail  for  England.  He  left  Boston  with  his  wife  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year.  He  was  surprised  when 
Mr.  Buckstone  informed  him  in  London  that  a  second 
letter  asking  him  to  defer  the  visit,  as  he  was  rather 
afraid  of  tragedy,  had  crossed  him  on  the  way.  After 
much  discussion  Booth  allowed  himself  to  be  overruled 
by  the  manager  and  consented  to  appear  as  Shylock. 
A  lady  who  had  spoken  with  enthusiasm  to  her  circle  of 
friends  of  the  passion  and  fire  of  certain  of  his  delinea- 
tions confessed  herself  disappointed  when  he  walked 
the  stage,  calm  to  indifference,  and  evidently  annoyed 
at  his  support  and  his  surroundings. 

On  this  eventful  night  every  one  behind  the  scenes 
was  more  nervous  and  frightened  than  the  untried  actor. 
His  fellow-players,  with  but  few  exceptions,  were  super- 
cilious and  disposed  to  treat  the  stranger  with  indignity. 
One  of  them  was  so  positively  certain  of  his  being  hissed 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  155 

that  he  was  scarcely  able  to  conceal  his  disappointment 
at  the  result. 

The  prejudice  did  not  extend,  however,  to  Henry 
Howe  or  Henry  Compton  of  the  Haymarket  company, 
for  these  gentlemen  were  particularly  kind  and  sym- 
pathetic. His  audiences  were  thin  but  enthusiastic, 
and  many  flattering  critiques  appeared  upon  his  act- 
ing, none  of  which,  however,  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  reading ;  only  the  malicious  articles,  unjust  and 
sweeping  in  denunciation,  were  brought  to  his  notice. 
He  had  reason  to  believe  that  English  criticism  was  a 
two-edged  sword  rather  than  the  surgeon's  knife  prob- 
ing to  cure ;  yet  he  received  much  encouragement  from 
private  sources  during  his  engagement  of  five  weeks. 
He  acted  four  characters,  Shylock,  Sir  Giles  Overreach, 
Richard  III.,  and  Richelieu.  Mr.  Sothern  prevailed  on 
Mr.  Buckstone  to  allow  Mr.  Booth  to  play  Richard  III., 
and  the  tragedy  was  eventually  put  upon  the  stage,  but 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  seem  a  burlesque.  One  man  in 
armor  rendered  himself  ridiculous  by  kneeling  and  not 
being  able  to  rise  again,  and  another  lifted  his  mailed 
arm  and  could  not  lower  it  without  difficulty ;  their  tin 
armor  so  clumsily  constructed  formed  a  ludicrous  con- 
trast to  the  massiveness  of  the  king's  complete  dress  of 
steel.  Mr.  Buckstone  reluctantly  consented  that  Booth 
should  produce  Richelieu.  For  that  event  the  actors 
had  brought  crowds  of  friends  behind  the  scenes  to 
witness  a  great  failure  ;  and  the  hisses  of  the  audience, 
which  as  yet  had  not  been  forthcoming,  were  confidently 
expected  at  this  production.  Before  the  close  of  the 
first  act  marks  of  pleasure  instead  of  the  disapprobation 


156  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

anticipated  were  distinctly  heard ;  and  even  the  non- 
paying  audience  behind  the  scenes  partook  of  the 
enthusiasm.  Mr.  Chippendale,  who  had  frequently 
been  lavish  of  kind  words  to  Edwin  as  a  boy  and 
had  often  professed  friendship  for  his  father,  held  an 
unwelcoming  hand  to  the  hard-used  actor  struggling 
against  the  prejudice  and  conventionalism  of  a  foreign 
country.  During  the  fourth  act  of  the  play,  as  Edmund 
Kean  would  have  said,  "  the  pit  rose  at  him."  It  was 
reported  that  Mr.  Chippendale,  leaving  the  theatre, 
rushed  over  the  way  to  Mr.  Buckstone,  saying,  he  had 
seen  the  finest  piece  of  acting  in  his  life.  Mr.  Buck- 
stone  always  regretted  that  he  had  not  opened  with 
"  Richelieu." 

During  Booth's  residence  at  Fulham  his  only  child, 
Edwina,  was  born,  in  December,  1861. 

On  the  completion  of  his  London  engagement,  Booth 
went  to  Manchester,  where  he  acted  for  three  weeks, 
Mr.  Henry  Irving  being  a  member  of  the  stock  com- 
pany ;  thence  he  proceeded  to  Liverpool  and  fulfilled 
an  engagement  of  two  weeks.  A  marble  medallion  of 
him  by  Kiintze  was  in  the  Royal  Academy  exhibition 
of  1862. 

After  a  visit  to  Paris  he  was  presented  with  the  sword 
which  Lemaitre  had  worn  in  "  Ruy  Bias,"  bearing 
upon  the  blade  the  name  "  Frederic  Lemaitre  "  and 
the  date  of  his  first  performance  of  the  role.  No  thea- 
tres were  open  to  him  in  London  on  his  return  from 
France.  Fechter,  then  at  the  height  of  success  at  the 
Princess's  Theatre,  monopolized  the  Shaksperian  drama, 
and  as  he  was  in  receipt  of  handsome  offers  for  New 


THE   YOUNGER  BOOTH.  157 

York,  he  concluded  to  leave  England,  sailing  on  the 
"  Great  Eastern  "  steamship,  which  then  made  her  last 
voyage  as  a  passenger  vessel. 

On  his  return  from  England  Booth  played  a  very 
successful  engagement  at  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre, 
New  York,  commencing  Sept.  29, 1862.  In  his  support 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  B.  Conway. 

At  Philadelphia  some  months  later  he  played  Mac- 
beth, to  the  Lady  Macbeth  of  Miss  Charlotte  Cushman, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Woman's  Branch  of  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission,  raising  upwards  of  thirteen 
hundred  dollars  for  the  fund. 

About  this  time  Booth,  on  account  of  the  failing 
health  of  his  wife,  decided  to  take  a  house  at  Dorches- 
ter, Mass.,  where  he  left  his  family,  after  playing  a  few 
weeks  in  Boston,  to  open  at  the  Winter  Garden, 
Feb.  9,  1863.  He  never  saw  Mrs.  Booth  alive  again. 
Her  sudden  death  before  he  could  reach  her  bedside 
abruptly  terminated  his  engagement  in  New  York.  Mr. 
T.  W.  Parsons,  in  his  collection  of  poems  entitled 
"The  Magnolia,"  has  paid  a  touching  compliment  to 
the  worth  of  a  good  woman  in  his  memorial  of  Mary 
Devlin  Booth. 

Booth  did  not  resume  his  professional  duties  for 
some  months ;  Lawrence  Barrett,  who  was  his  leading 
support,  filling  up  the  break  in  his  New  York  engage- 
ment by  acting  Richard  III.,  and  continuing  with  Ruy 
Bias,  which  Booth  had  had  in  course  of  preparation. 
On  his  return  he  wished  to  assume  this  part  of  Ruy 
Bias,  but  Mr.  Barrett  considered  it  unfair  that  he 
should  be  cast  for  the  character  of  Don  Casar  when 


158  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

he  had  already  been  playing  the  leading  role,  on  its 
first  production  in  the  metropolis.  Booth  then  intro- 
duced the  scene  of  Don  Ca-sar,  which  had  been 
omitted  in  the  English  version,  and  offered  it  as  an  in- 
ducement to  Mr.  Barrett,  who  accepted,  and  acted  the 
character  remarkably  well,  "  taking,"  as  the  star  said, 
"all  the  wind  out  of  my  sails." 

In  October,  1863,  the  Walnut  Street  Theatre  in 
Philadelphia  was  offered  for  sale.  At  such  a  preca- 
rious time,  during  a  disastrous  civil  war,  few  men  were 
willing  to  assume  so  great  a  risk ;  but  John  S.  Clarke 
and  Edwin  Booth  conjointly  ventured  to  make  the  pur- 
chase, feeling  that  they  would  be  lucky  to  be  able  to 
pay  for  it  entirely  in  thirteen  years.  This  they  did, 
however,  in  three  ! 

At  Niblo's  Garden,  under  the  management  of  Wil- 
liam Wheatley,  who  had  lately  dissolved  partnership 
with  John  S.  Clarke  in  Philadelphia,  Booth  presented 
"The  Fool's  Revenge""  for  the  first  time  in  New  York, 
March  28,  1864,  the  play  meeting  with  decided  suc- 
cess. In  his  support  were  Miss  Ada  Clifton,  Miss 
Mary  Wells,  Miss  Rose  Eytinge,  and  J.  W.  Collier. 

Edwin  Booth,  John  S.  Clarke,  and  William  Stuart 
took  a  lease  of  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre,  New  York, 
for  a  term  of  years,  opening  the  house  Aug.  18,  1864, 
with  an  engagement  of  Mr.  Clarke.  Booth  had  long 
desired  to  have  a  leading  metropolitan  "theatre  under 
his  own  control,  where  he  could  mount  his  plays  in  a 
correct  and  elaborate  style  and  confine  himself  entirely 
to  the  legitimate  drama.  Mr.  Stuart  was  known,  how- 
ever, as  the  "  manager  "  of  the  theatre,  although  his 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  159 

duties  did  not  extend  to  the  stage  department  or  the 
production  of  plays.  He  received  a  large  salary,  and 
occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  theatre,  from  which 
he  narrowly  escaped  when  the  building  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

Booth  cast  his  first,  and  the  only  vote  of  his  life,  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  autumn  of  1864.  A  short 
time  after,  on  the  night  of  Nov.  25,  1864,  the  three 
Booth  brothers  appeared  in  the  play  of  "Julius  Caesar," 
—  Junius  Brutus  Booth  as  Cassius,  Edwin  as  Brutus ', 
and  John  Wilkes  as  Marc  Antony.  The  theatre  was 
crowded  to  suffocation,  people  standing  in  every  avail- 
able place.  The  greatest  excitement  prevailed,  and 
the  aged  mother  of  the  Booths  sat  in  a  private  box  to 
witness  this  performance.  The  three  brothers  received 
and  merited  the  applause  of  that  immense  audience, 
for  they  acted  well,  and  presented  a  picture  too  strik- 
ingly historic  to  be  soon  forgotten.  The  eldest,  power- 
fully built  and  handsome  as  an  antique  Roman,  Edwin, 
with  his  magnetic  fire  and  graceful  dignity,  and  John 
Wilkes  in  the  perfection  of  youthful  beauty,  stood  side 
by  side,  again  and  again,  before  the  curtain,  to  receive 
the  lavish  applause  of  the  audience  mingled  with  wav- 
ing of  handkerchiefs  and  every  mark  of  enthusiasm. 

Nov.  26,  1864,  Booth  produced  "Hamlet"  at  the 
Winter  Garden,  and  acted  the  Dane  for  one  hun- 
dred nights  consecutively,  —  the  longest  run  that  any 
Shaksperian  play  had  ever  known  in  America  at  that 
time.  It  was  more  splendidly  produced  than  any  other 
that  had  ever  been  presented,  with  the  exception,  per- 
haps, of  "  King  John  "  and  "  Richard  III.,"  many  years 


160  THE    YOUNGER  BOO'TH. 

previously,  at  the  old  Park  Theatre,  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Charles  Kean,  and  which,  it  is  said,  were  com- 
parative failures  financially,  although  most  expensive 
and  elaborate  productions. 

Of  Booth's  Hamlet,  at  that  time,  George  William 
Curtis  wrote  :  — 

"  A  really  fine  actor  is  as  uncommon  as  a  really  great 
dramatic  poet.  Yet  what  Garrick  was  in  Richard  III., 
or  Edmund  Kean  in  Shylock,  we  are  sure  Edwin  Booth 
is  in  Hamlet.  .  .  .  The  scenery  was  thoughtfully  stud- 
ied, and  the  effect  was  entirely  harmonious.  .  .  .  Booth 
looks  the  ideal  Hamlet ;  for  the  Hamlet  of  our  imagi- 
nation, which  is  the  Hamlet  of  Shakspere,  is  not  the 
scant-of-breath  gentleman  whom  the  severer  critics  in- 
sist that  he  should  be.  He  is  a  sad,  slight  prince.  .  .  . 
Booth  is  altogether  princely.  His  costume  is  still  the 
solemn  suit  of  sables,,  varied  according  to  his  fancy  of 
greater  fitness ;  and  his  small,  lithe  form,  with  the 
mobility  and  intellectual  sadness  of  his  face,  and  his 
large,  melancholy  eyes,  satisfy  the  most  fastidious  im- 
agination that  this  is  Hamlet  as  he  lived  in  Shakspere 's 
world.  His  playing  throughout  has  an  exquisite  tone, 
like  an  old  picture.  The  charm  of  the  finest  portraits 

—  of  Raphael's  'Julius'  or  'Leo,1  of  Titian's  'Fran- 
cis I.'  or '  Ippolita  cli  Medici,'  of  Vandyck's  '  Charles  I.' 

—  is  not  the  drawing,  or  even  the  coloring,  so  much 
as  the  nameless,  subtle  harmony  which  is  called  '  tone." 
So  in  Booth's  Hamlet  it  is  not  any  particular  scene,  or 
passage,  or  look,  or  movement,  that  conveys  the  im- 
pression ;  it  is  the  consistency  of  every  part  with  every 
other,  the  pervasive  sense  of  a  mind  of  a  true  gentleman 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  l6l 

sadly  strained  and  jarred.  Through  the  whole  play  the 
mind  is  borne  on  in  mournful  reverie.  It  is  not  so 
much  what  he  says  or  does  that  we  ebserve,  for  under 
all,  beneath  every  scene  and  word  and  act,  we  hear  what 
is  not  audible,  —  the  melancholy  music  of  '  the  sweet 
bells  jangled,  out  of  tune  and  harsh.'  This  gives  a 
curious  reality  to  the  whole.  .  .  .  Booth's  conception 
of  Hamlet  is  that  of  a  morbid  mind  conscious  of  its 
power  to  master  the  mystery  of  life,  which,  in  its  de- 
tails, baffles  and  overwhelms  him.  There  is,  therefore, 
a  serene  consciousness  of  superiority  in  his  behavior, 
even  in  the  most  perplexed  moments.  In  the  chamber 
scene  with  his  mother,  when  the  ghost  passes  and  Ham- 
let falls  for  a  moment  prostrate  with  emotion  at  his 
disappearance,  the  Queen  insinuates  that  he  is  mad. 
There  is  a  kind  of  calm,  pitying  disdain,  mingled  with 
the  sense  that  her  feeling  is  natural,  with  which  Hamlet 
steps  toward  her,  his  finger  on  his  pulse.  The  tragedy 
in  '  Hamlet '  is  not  only  the  vital  curiosity  about  ex- 
istence, the  mastering  love  of  life  which  almost  subdues 
his  soul  with  fear  and  doubt  and  keeps  it  tense  with 
eager  questioning,  but  it  is  the  conviction  of  a  mind 
morbid  with  this  continual  strain  that  it  is  a  most  sacred 
duty  to  end  another  life,  to  plunge  a  guilty  soul  into  the 
abyss  of  doubt,  and  that  soul  the  one  dearest  to  his 
mother.  This  explains  the  fascination  which  the  idea 
of  his  uncle's  death  always  exercises  upon  his  mind, 
and  also  his  inability  to  do  more  than  dream  and  doubt 
over  the  action.  It  is  this  complication  which  produces 
one  of  Booth's  finest  scenes.  In  the  interview  with  his 
mother  he  stabs  Polonius  through  the  arras.  For  an 


1 62  THE   YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

instant  the  possibility  of  what  he  has  done  sweeps  over 
his  mind.  Always  the  victim  of  complex  emotions,  the 
instinctive  satisfaction  of  knowing  the  act  done  is  min- 
gled with  the  old  familiar  horror  of  the  doom  to  which 
he  may  have  consigned  his  uncle.  With  sword  up- 
lifted, and  a  vague  terror  both  of  hope  and  fear  in  his 
tone  and  face,  Hamlet  does  not  slide  rapidly  back,  and 
hurriedly  exclaim,  '  Is  it  the  King? '  but,  tottering  with 
emotion,  he  asks  slowly  in  an  appalling  staccato, '  Is  — 
it  —  the  —  king  ? '  The  cumulative  sadness  of  the  play 
was  never  so  palpable  as  in  Booth's  acting.  It  is  a 
spell  from  which  you  cannot  escape." 

At  the  expiration  of  the  hundred  nights  of  "  Ham- 
let," a  committee  of  distinguished  persons  had  arranged 
to  present  Booth  with  a  medal  commemorative  of  the 
event ;  but  it  was  not  yet  completed,  and  he  finished 
his  New  York  season  by  filling  the  last  week  with  dif- 
ferent plays. 

Going  from  New  York  to  Boston,  he  was  playing  a 
very  lucrative  engagement,  and  on  the  night  of  the  i4th 
of  April,  1865,  acted  Sir  Edward  Mortimer.  On  the 
following  morning  the  news  of  the  great  calamity  which 
had  fallen  upon  the  country,  and  particularly  upon  the 
Booth  family,  was  brought  to  him.  He  left  Boston  on 
that  evening,  and  arrived  at  New  York  early  the  en- 
suing morning,  repairing  at  once  to  his  own  home. 
He  was  surrounded  by  devoted  friends,  who  strove  by 
every  attention  in  their  power  to  prove  how  highly  he 
was  esteemed  as  a  public  man  and  a  citizen. 

Grief  and  shame,  and  the  dread  of  having  to  forfeit 
his  position  on  the  stage,  had  in  the  course  of  a  few 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


163 


months  sadly  worn  his  fragile  body ;  and  that  intro- 
spective look,  which  some  writer  remarks  as  "  charac- 
teristic of  the  Booths,"  seemed  to  fit  with  the  lines, — 

"I  have  that  within,  which  passeth  show." 

He  had  thought  never  to  appear  upon  the  stage  again, 
but  the  more  violent  the  tempest  the  more  subdued  the 
calm  which  follows ;  and  the  reaction  proved  as  rea- 
sonable in  this  case  as  the  denunciation  had  been  fierce. 
With  conflicting  emotions,  which  required  an  indom- 
itable force  of  will  to  keep  in  check,  Edwin  Booth 
made  his  reappearance  on  the  stage  at  the  Winter 
Garden  Theatre  in  the  character  of  Hamlet,  Jan.  3, 
1866,  after  having  been  in  retirement  many  months. 
People  came  from  Washington,  Baltimore,  Boston,  and 
Philadelphia  to  witness  the  event,  and  the  audience 
comprised  many  distinguished  persons.  Outside  the 
streets  were  thronged,  angry  threats  were  made  to  shoot 
him ;  but  on  the  other  hand  cool,  common  sense  was 
heard,  and  both  within  and  without  the  theatre  the 
police  force  was  a  restraining  power. 

In  his  "Sketch  of  Edwin  Booth,"  William  Winter 
says  :  — 

"  Had  there  not  existed,  however,  an  imperative  ne- 
cessity that  Edwin  Booth  should  return  to  the  stage, 
he  would  never  have  acted  again.  He  reappeared  on 
the  3d  of  January,  1 866,  at  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre. 
An  immense  throng  of  persons  gave  him  welcome,  and 
it  was  such  a  welcome  as  might  well  have  lightened  the 
saddest  heart  and  the  most  anxious  mind.  Nine  cheers 
hailed  the  melancholy  Dane  upon  his  first  entrance. 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

The  spectators  rose  and  waved  their  hats  and  handker- 
chiefs. Bouquets  fell  in  a  shower  upon  the  stage,  and 
there  was  a  tempest  of  applause.  Nor  was  the  welcome 
less  kind  in  communities  out  of  New  York.  Wherever 
he  appeared  after  this  momentous  return  to  the  stage  he 
found  a  free-hearted  greeting  and  respectful  sympathy, 
and  so  little  by  little  he  got  back  into  the  old  way  of 
work,  and  his  professional  career  resumed  its  flow  in 
the  old  channel." 

The  "  Hamlet  Medal "  (intended  for  presentation  on 
the  one  hundredth  night)  was  received  by  Booth  on 
January  22d  during  this  engagement.  It  was  an  offer- 
ing of  appreciation  and  respect  from  the  chief  citizens 
of  New  York  and  students  of  Shakspere,  and  was  pre- 
sented publicly  after  the  performance  of  "  Hamlet." 
The  stage  represented  a  drawing-room.  The  bands  of 
the  principal  theatres  of  New  York  united  in  giving  the 
Danish  National  Hymn.  Booth,  dressed  as  Hamlet, 
met  the  committee  on  their  arrival.  Among  the  vast 
concourse  of  people  were  many  eminent  citizens  ;  and 
on  the  stage  could  be  singled  out  Admiral  Farragut, 
Major-General  Robert  Anderson,  John  T.  Hoffman 
Governor  of  New  York,  George  Bancroft  the  histo- 
rian, Charles  A.  Dana,  Judge  Daly ;  S.  R.  Gifford,  Launt 
Thompson,  Jervis  McEntee,  and  many  distinguished 
artists ;  and  Richard  O'Gorman  and  William  Ftillerton, 
members  of  the  New  York  Bar.  The  latter  gentleman 
spoke  the  following  graceful  tribute  :  — 

"  MR.  BOOTH,  —  You  have  deservedly  won  a  position 
in  your  profession  which  few  men  have  ever  attained. 
The  representation  of  one  of  Shakspere's  plays  for 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTIf. 


I65 


one  hundred  consecutive  nights  to  overflowing  and 
delighted  audiences  is  a  triumph  unrecorded  in  the  an- 
nals of  the  stage  until  you  accomplished  it,  and  is  well 
worthy  of  commemoration.  But  it  is  not  alone  your 
success  as  an  actor  which  has  attracted  public  attention 
and  called  forth  this  demonstration.  You  have  won 
alike  the  applause  and  respect  of  your  fellow-men  ;  and 
a  numerous  body  of  your  friends  and  admirers,  through 
their  committee  now  here  present,  desire  to  present 
you  with  some  evidence  of  their  appreciation  of  your 
genius  as  an  actor,  and  their  respect  for  you  as  a  man, 
more  substantial  and  enduring  than  the  fleeting,  though 
hearty  plaudits  nightly  heard  within  these  walls.  To 
that  end  they  have  instructed  me  to  present  you  with 
this  medal.  Intrinsically,  it  is  of  little  worth ;  but  as  a 
token  of  the  regard  of.  your  fellow-citizens,  it  possesses 
a  significance  far  more  valuable  than  the  gold  of  which 
it  is  composed,  or  the  artistic  skill  which  has  beautified 
it.  It  was  thought  proper  that  this  presentation  should 
take  place  on  the  occasion  of  the  play  of  '  Hamlet,' 
with  which  your  name  will  ever  be  associated,  and  on 
the  very  spot  of  your  greatest  professional  achievements, 
thereby  affording  your  numerous  friends  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  it.  But  the  choice  of  time  and  place  for 
this  ceremony  has  another  and  a  deeper  meaning.  It 
intends  a  recognition  of  your  lifelong  efforts  to  raise  the 
moral  standard  of  the  drama,  and  to  encourage  you  in 
your  future  endeavors  to  accomplish  that  result.  In 
conclusion,  I  beg  you  to  accept  this  gift ;  and  at  the 
same  time,  allow  me  to  express  the  universal  wish  that 
you  may  live  to  win  new  triumphs  in  a  profession 


THE    YOL'XCER  BOOTH. 

which  your  virtues  have  elevated  and  your  talents 
adorned." 

The  medal  is  made  of  gold,  and  is  about  three  inches 
in  size  ;  it  is  of  oval  form,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  thick 
golden  serpent  with  its  head  pendent,  over  which  are 
the  skull  of  Yorick,  the  crossed  foils,  and  thickly  massed 
bunches  of  Ophelia's  flowers.  A  golden  ribbon  around 
the  oval  bears  the  motto,  "  Palmam  qui  mcruit  ferat." 
At  the  top  is  the  Danish  crown,  from  which  hang  two 
heavy  garlands  of  laurel  and  myrtle  gracefully  fes- 
tooned ;  beneath,  in  alto-rilievo,  is  Edwin  Booth's 
head  as  Hamlet.  The  medal  is  suspended  from  a 
brooch  richly  chased,  with  the  face  of  Shakspere  be- 
tween the  masks  of  Tragedy  and  Comedy.  On  the 
reverse  is  engraven,  "  To  Edwin  Booth,  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  unprecedented  '  run '  of '  Hamlet,'  as  en- 
acted by  him  in  New  York  City  for  one  hundred  nights, 
1865." 

In  January,  1866,  Booth  and  Clarke  obtained  the 
lease  of  the  Boston  Theatre  at  a  rental  of  sixteen 
thousand  dollars  a  year.  Offers  as  high  as  twenty-six 
thousand  dollars  were  made  by  other  parties,  but  the 
directors  preferred  these  two  gentlemen,  who  managed 
now  conjointly  three  first-class  theatres  in  the  three 
principal  cities.  After  a  very  successful  engagement 
in  Boston,  Booth,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1866,  made  his 
reappearance  on  the  Philadelphia  stage  to  commemo- 
rate the  anniversary  of  the  "  Birth  and  Death  of  Shaks- 
pere." He  had  not  acted  in  that  city  for  two  years, 
and  during  a  most  remunerative  engagement  of  fifty- 
one  nights  he  performed  Othello,  Romeo,  Shylock,  Rich- 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


I67 


ard  III.,  Ruy  Bias,  Don  Cesar  de  Bazan,  Hamlet, 
Richelieu,  Petruchio,  The  Stranger,  Bcrtuccio,  Sir  Giles 
Overreach,  and  Pescara.  "  Hamlet  "  was  produced  in 
magnificent  style,  and  acted  for  twenty-one  nights,  the 
other  plays  being  many  times  repeated. 

During  the  occupancy  of  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre 
by  Booth  and  Clarke,  the  latter  usually  acted  there  from 
the  month  of  August  until  Christmas,  Booth  following 
and  playing  until  Easter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney  Wil- 
liams and  other  attractions  filling  the  intervening  time. 
John  S.  Clarke  sold  his  interest  to  Booth,  and  retired 
finally  from  the  management  early  in  the  year  1867,  a 
few  months  before  the  building  was  burned. 

Booth  produced  "  Richelieu "  in  magnificent  style 
on  the  ist  February,  1866,  using  the  costumes  he 
had  brought  with  him  from  Paris  for  another  play. 
Charles  Barron  was  the  De  Mauprat,  John  Dyott  Jo- 
seph, C.  K.  Mason  Hoguet,  Miss  Rose  Eytinge  Julie, 
and  Miss  Marie  Wilkins  Marion  de  Lorme. 

On  the  2  Qth  December  of  the  same  year  he  played 
logo  to  the  Othello  of  Bagumil  Dawison.  Othello  spoke 
in  German,  lago  in  English,  and  Desdemona  (Madame 
Methua  Scheller)  in  German  to  Othello  and  in  English 
to  the  rest  of  the  dramatis  persona.  "  The  Merchant 
of  Venice"  was  the  event  of  this  season  of  1866-67, 
and  was  produced  in  magnificent  style  Jan.  28,  1867, 
running  for  seven  weeks.  On  the  22d  of  March 
"Brutus,  or  the  Fall  of  Tarquin,"  was  presented,  and 
early  on  the  morning  of  March  23d  the  theatre  was 
burned  to  the  ground. 

The  fire  was  the  result  of  an  accident,  and  the  thea- 


1 68  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

tre,  which  was  uninsured,  was  <  never  rebuilt.  Booth 
lost  the  whole  of  his  valuable  wardrobe,  including  many 
articles  prized  for  their  association  sake  even  more 
than  for  their  actual  worth.  Some  had  belonged  to  his 
father,  others  to  Edmund  Kean,  John  Philip  Kemble, 
and  to  Mrs.  Siddons. 

Owing  to  the  great  success  which  had  attended  the 
production  of  his  plays  at  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre, 
he  was  filled  with  an  ambitious  desire  to  build  a  supe- 
rior edifice  where  he  could  indulge  his  love  of  the 
aesthetic  and  realistic  as  well  as  show  deference  to  the 
legitimate  in  art.  This  had  been  his  earnest  endeavor 
throughout  his  later  engagements,  and  the  production 
of  his  plays  had  so  engrossed  his  attention  that  he  had 
refused  most  tempting  offers  from  the  West ;  money  at 
that  time  being  a  secondary  object.  With  his  mind 
intent  upon  pursuing  this  grand  scheme  of  erecting  a 
theatre  on  his  own  responsibility,  he  now  had  recourse 
to  the  Western  managers,  and  accepted  offers  that 
proved  most  remunerative.  He  did  not  act  again  for 
two  years  in  New  York ;  but,  having  secured  the  site 
for  his  theatre,  he  travelled  and  worked  laboriously  to 
effect  what  he  now  calls  "  a  Quixotic  fancy." 

In  1867,  during  his  engagement  in  Chicago,  Miss 
Mary  M'Vicker  made  her  first  appearance  as  Juliet  to 
his  ftomeo.  He  proceeded  to  Baltimore  to  fulfil  an 
engagement  of  four  weeks,  opening  as  Sir  Giles  Over- 
reach, Miss  M'Vicker  performing  Margaret.  During  the 
first  week,  while  playing  Pescara  in  the  "  Apostate,"  he 
met  with  a  serious  accident.  Mr.  Charles  Vandenhoff 
as  Hemcja,  in  rushing  to  kill  Pescara,  was  so  excited 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  16$ 

that  he  deliberately  stabbed  Booth  three  times  in  the 
hand  which  he  had  fortunately  raised  to  ward  off  the  blow 
from  his  breast.  He  had  neglected  to  have  the  sharp 
dagger  blunted,  and  Mr.  Vandenhoff  was  unconscious 
how  often  or  how  furiously  he  struck  in  his  excitement. 
After  responding  to  the  call  of  the  audience,  Booth  for 
the  first  time  realized  how  badly  he  was  hurt  and  on 
leaving  the  stage  fainted  from  pain.  He  acted  the 
next  night,  however,  and  for  two  nights  following,  in  the 
plays  of  "  Hamlet,"  "  Richard  III.,"  and  "  Othello," 
carrying  his  right  arm  in  a  sling  and  fencing  with  his 
left  hand,  even  drawing  his  sword,  which  he  accom- 
plished by  a  quick  upward  movement,  whipping  it 
not  ungracefully  from  the  scabbard.  The  next  week 
he  was  obliged  to  desist  from  acting  as  he  was  threat- 
ened with  erysipelas,  and  the  arm  had  become  exceed- 
ingly painful. 

After  a  brief  rest  he  was  enabled  to  finish  his  engage- 
ment, performing  the  two  weeks  following.  He  shortly 
afterward  made  a  tour  of  all  the  cities  of  the  South  and 
Southwest  for  the  first  time  in  eight  years. 

The  building  of  Booth's  Theatre  consumed  nearly 
two  years,  during  which  time  he  was  never  idle ;  the 
excavations  for  the  foundation  were  made  by  blasting 
a  solid  rock  twenty-two  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  pit 
dug  was  the  extent  of  the  entire  stage.  The  magnifi- 
cent structure  was  at  length  completed  at  the  cost  of 
over  a  million  of  dollars,  and  was  said  to  be  surpassed 
in  grandeur  only  by  the  Grand  Opera  House  in  Paris. 
The  decorations  of  the  interior  were  most  artistic  and 
delicate ;  everything  was  perfect  in  regard  to  taste  and 


170  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

elegance.  There  were  no  "  wings  "  on  the  stage,  all  of 
the  scenery  being  so  constructed  as  to  sink  or  be  ele- 
vated above  the  "  flies  "  by  hydraulic  power ;  the  stage 
could  be  thrown  open  from  wall  to  wall,  and  the  effect 
perspectively  with  the  great  altitude  added  to  its  vast- 
ness  and  grandeur.  The  theatre  opened  on  the  3d  of 
February,  1869,  with  the  production  of  "  Romeo  and 
Juliet,"  given  in  the  original  text  of  Shakspere  for  the 
first  time  in  America.  The  minutiae  of  stage  decora- 
tion, costume,  and  equipment  received  Booth's  own 
supervision,  as  their  correctness  had  engrossed  his  time 
and  labor.  In  the  second  act,  the  house  of  Juliet 
measured  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  had  two  balconies 
one  above  the  other.  Two  trees  measured  fifty  and 
sixty  feet.  For  the  "  loggia  "  scene  in  the  third  act  was 
a  line  of  connected  arches  of  great  height  extending 
backward  to  the  full  depth  of  the  stage  ;  these  flanked 
a  wide  courtyard  in  which  the  tops  of  trees  were  visi- 
ble, suggesting  the  idea  of  depth.  Romeo's  ladder  was 
thrown  over  the  balustrade  of  a  balcony  of  this  solidly 
constructed  house.  The  "  loggia  scene  "  employed 
fifty  men  to  set  and  to  draw  it  above  the  "  flies."  The 
production  of  this  play  attracted  immense  audiences  for 
sixty-eight  nights,  Booth  and  Miss  M'Vicker  playing 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  and  Mr.  Edwin  Adams  Mercutio. 

The  "  Moor  of  Venice "  was  put  upon  the  stage 
April  19,  1869,  on  a  scale  of  similar  magnificence; 
Edwin  Adams  and  Edwin  Booth  alternating  the  charac- 
ters of  Othello  and  logo.  Miss  M'Vicker  assuming  the 
part  of  Desdemona.  Booth,  by  an  ingenious  contriv- 
ance, had  the  scenery  of  "Romeo  and  Juliet"  rear- 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  \"J\ 

ranged  with  the  addition  of  a  few  small  pieces  to  answer 
every  requisition  of  the  "  Moor  of  Venice,"  thus  illus- 
trating that  the  eye  of  the  master  saves  the  laborer's 
hands.  He  kept  the  theatre  open  during  the  summer, 
and  produced  the  play  of  "Enoch  Arden,"  June  21, 
1869.  Edwin  Adams  personated  the  principal  charac- 
ter, and  Booth  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Tennyson 
relative  to  the  successful  production  of  his  poem. 

Booth  and  Miss  M'Vicker  were  married  June  7, 
1869.  In  this  year  the  lady  retired  from  the  stage.* 

The  plays  of  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "  Winter's  Tale," 
"Hamlet,"  "Richelieu,"  and  "Julius  C;esar,"  were 
produced  in  most  elaborate  and  costly  style.  "  The 
Assassination  of  Caesar,"  from  Ge'rome's  great  pic- 
ture, was  beautifully  copied  for  the  scene  of  the  lat- 
ter play.  "  The  Moor  of  Venice,"  "  Macbeth," 
"Lady  of  Lyons,"  "The  Iron  Chest,"  "Merchant  of 
Venice,"  "  Richard  III.,"  "  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old 
Debts,"  "  Fool's  Revenge,"  "  The  Fall  of  Tarquin," 
and  "  Don  Cesar  de  Bazan  "  were  put  upon  the  stage 
and  mounted  in  superior  style.  They  were  frequently 
repeated,  and  one  of  the  previously  mentioned  five 
plays  was  produced  each  year.  He  had  been  through- 
out unsparing  of  strength  and  energy,  and  indefatigable 
in  his  labor,  each  department  of  the  theatre  dividing 
his  attention,  for  the  onus  of  this  undertaking  devolved 
on  himself  alone.  He  travelled  and  played  elsewhere, 
while  other  "  stars  "  filled  the  time  at  Booth's  Theatre, 
among  whom  were  Miss  Neilson,  Joseph  Jefferson, 
Miss  Bateman,  and  J.  S.  Clarke. 

*  Mary  M'Vicker  Booth  died  in  New  York,  Nov.  13,  1881,  while 
this  volume  was  passing  through  the  press.  —  ED. 


1/2  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

Edwin  Adams  was  the  leading  man  of  the  company, 
and  had  the  privilege  of  producing  his  own  plays  on 
Saturday  nights,  the  same  arrangement  being  effected 
with  Lawrence  Barrett  in  the  next  season.  Booth's 
management  of  Booth's  Theatre  was  remarkable  for  the 
continuity  of  its  success,  but  the  outlay  was  enormous 
and  the  expenses  incredible ;  he  allowed  himself  rest 
neither  for  body  nor  mind,  and,  when  absent  in  other 
cities,  sent  large  sums  of  money  to  New  York  to  liqui- 
date his  debts. 

Finally,  the  strain  on  mental  and  physical  health 
became  too  severe,  and  in  1873  he  concluded  to  lease 
the  theatre  to  his  elder  brother,  J.  B.  Booth,  in  prefer- 
ence to  other  applicants.  This  management  not  meet- 
ing with  the  desired  success,  the  theatre  passed  into 
new  hands,  and  Booth's  monetary  affairs  became  so 
complicated  and  embarrassed,  owing  to  his  ignorance 
of  the  financial  details  of  business,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing his  long-continued  success  throughout  the  country, 
the  result  of  this  scheme  was  bankruptcy.  Although 
released  from  the  cares  of  management  he  was  now 
compelled  to  work  harder  and  to  travel  more,  devot- 
ing every  energy  to  free  himself  from  the  incubus  of 
debt.  Out  of  the  failure  of  this  great  project,  which 
was  a  noble  endeavor  by  individual  effort  to  elevate 
the  drama  in  America  and  to  create  for  his  country  a 
standard  of  dramatic  excellence  that  should  be  felt 
among  older  nations,  came  happily  renewed  strength 
and  determination,  not  the  relaxation  of  despair  or  grief 
for  wasted  effort  that  was  feared  by  his  friends. 

Shortly  after  his  bankruptcy  Booth  retired  for  a  brief 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  173 

rest  to  his  wife's  country  home  at  Cos-Cob,  Con- 
necticut, having  surrendered  to  his  creditors  all  his 
private  and  personal  property,  including  his  books,  pic- 
tures, and  extensive  theatrical  wardrobe.  While  in  this 
quiet  retreat  he  was  thrown  from  a  carriage  and  severely 
injured  in  the  arm  and  side.  This  accident  caused  a 
postponement  of  an  eight  weeks'  summer  engagement 
with  Mr.  Augustin  Daly  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre, 
New  York.  He  opened  at  that  house,  however,  Oct. 
25>  l%75-  During  this  engagement  he  produced  for 
the  first  time  his  own  version  or  adaptation  of  Shak- 
spere's  "  Richard  II."  He  had  never  seen  the  charac- 
ter acted,  and  had  never  played  it  himself.  It  was  a 
very  great  success,  and  has  become  a  favorite  part  of 
his  because  of  its  eloquence  and  force.  Edmund 
Kean  and  the  elder  Booth  had  performed  this  charac- 
ter, but  it  had  fallen  into  disuse.  Edwin  Booth  desired 
to  restore  the  tragedy  to  the  stage ;  and,  by  reason  of 
its  profundity  of  knowledge,  its  intimate  acquaintance 
with  humanity,  and  its  exquisite  diction,  it  deserves  the 
place  he  has  given  it  in  his  repertory. 

During  this  season,  under  Mr.  Daly's  management, 
he  produced  "  King  Lear "  in  magnificent  style  and 
from  the  original  text,  after  his  own  adaptation  of 
Shakspere's  "  King  Lear."  This,  too,  was  eminently 
successful.  After  acting  his  usual  round  of  characters 
(but  with  his  maimed  left  arm  in  a  sling),  the  engage- 
ment terminated.  He  went  with  Mr.  J.  T.  Ford  of 
Baltimore,  on  a  protracted  Southern  tour,  giving  fifty- 
two  performances.  He  then  travelled  with  Mr.  M'Vicker 
and  with  other  managers,  through  the  Western  cities, 


174  TIfK    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

successfully  fulfilling  these  engagements  and  terminat- 
ing the  season  in  June,  1876. 

For  several  years  he  had  refused  all  offers  from  Cali- 
fornia ;  but  now  that  he  required  a  vast  deal  of  money 
to  free  himself  from  pressing  obligations,  he  concluded 
to  undertake  the  journey  at  the  tempting  inducements 
held  forth  by  Mr.  John  McCullough.  Their  train  en 
route  to  San  Francisco  stopped  at  several  places.  They 
visited  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  gave  a  half-promise  to 
act  on  his  return  journey ;  they  went  to  Virginia  City, 
and  in  twelve  days  from  the  date  of  starting  he  arrived 
in  San  Francisco,  Sept.  5,  1876,  exactly  twenty  years 
to  a  day  since  he  had  left  that  city. 

His  engagement  at  the  San  Francisco  theatre  was 
attended  by  overwhelming  success.  While  in  Cali- 
fornia he  met  his  old  friend,  D.  C.  Anderson,  and 
together  they  wandered  over  the  busy  metropolis  that 
had  overgrown  the  straggling  village  they  had  known. 
Their  "  Ranch  "  was  now  a  tenement  in  a  back  street, 
and  the  "  marsh  "  was  built  over ;  for  the  great,  pros- 
perous city  had  reached  outward  in  all  directions,  em- 
bracing the  once  barren  waste. 

Booth  returned  to  the  East,  and  opened  at  the  Ly- 
ceum Theatre,  New  York,  under  Mr.  M'Vicker's  man- 
agement, in  November,  1876.  This  engagement  lasted 
ten  weeks.  The  great  political  disturbance,  and  the 
fatal  occurrence  at  the  Brooklyn  Theatre,  burned  by 
fire,  with  a  loss  of  more  than  three  hundred  lives, 
Dec.  5,  1876,  caused  so  great  a  panic  that  all  places 
of  amusement  were  avoided  in  New  York ;  and  the 
fright  extended  to  other  cities,  so  that  the  latter  part  of 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH.  175 

the  engagement  was  somewhat  injured.  Mr.  M'Vicker 
was  very  anxious  to  resign  his  two  weeks'  lease  of  the 
Academy  of  Music  in  Brooklyn  on  account  of  the  dis- 
inclination of  the  community  to  visit  theatres,  but  his 
efforts  proved  unsuccessful.  Booth  was  obliged  to  fill 
the  engagement,  anticipating  a  complete  failure ;  but, 
contrary  to  all  expectations,  he  played  to  enormous 
business.  Under  the  same  management  he  visited 
various  cities,  acting  three  weeks  at  the  Arch  Street 
Theatre,  Philadelphia,  two  weeks  in  Baltimore,  and 
later  performing  in  several  towns  of  Connecticut. 

He  then  appeared  at  the  Globe  Theatre  in  Boston 
for  a  period  of  three  weeks,  and  closed  this  protracted 
engagement  on  the  igth  of  May,  1877.  For  this  sea- 
son he  had  received  one  hundred  and  twenty-one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-three  dollars.  And 
his  total  receipts  from  October,  1875,  to  May,  1877, 
enabled  him  to  settle  with  his  creditors,  and  obtain 
release  from  bankruptcy,  the  time  comprising  fifty-six 
acting  weeks. 

After  a  rest  during  the  summer  months  he  com- 
menced another  engagement  under  the  same  manage- 
ment, on  Sept.  10,  1877,  in  Chicago.  He  played  in 
Cincinnati,  Louisville,  Cleveland,  St.  Louis,  Buffalo, 
Lockport,  Rochester,  Syracuse,  Utica,  and  Albany.  In 
January,  1878,  he  rented  Booth's  Theatre,  and  under 
his  own  management  acted  for  six  weeks.  Later  he 
acted  at  the  Park  Theatre,  Boston,  for  three  weeks, 
two  weeks  at  Pittsburg,  two  at  Baltimore,  and  filled 
three  weeks  at  Clarke's  Broad  Street  Theatre  in  Phila- 
delphia. At  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  in  New  York 


176  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

he  played  for  five  weeks,  then  visited  Detroit  and 
Chicago.  He  had  reaped  a  plentiful  harvest  in  all 
these  cities,  but  he  had  labored  indefatigably  and  trav- 
elled without  loss  of  time. 

His  engagement  at  Chicago  was  for  a  period  of  four 
weeks,  beginning  the  i4th  of  April,  1879.  In  the  sec- 
ond week,  on  the  night  of  the  23d  (Shakspere's  birth- 
day) ,  he  was  shot  at  while  playing  Richard  II.  There 
was  intense  excitement  throughout  the  theatre,  and  the 
deed  created  the  fiercest  indignation  against  the  of- 
fender, who  was  arrested  and  secured,  but  not  until 
Booth  rose  at  the  third  shot,  walked  to  the  footlights, 
and  pointed  out  to  the  audience  the  would-be  assassin 
as  the  pistol  was  again  levelled  at  his  head.  At  the 
trial  which  followed  the  man  was  proved  to  be  insane, 
and  he  has  ever  since  been  confined  at  the  asylum  at 
Elgin,  111.  One  of  the  bullets,  which  entered  the  scen- 
ery almost  directly  behind  Booth,  he  has  had  set  in  a 
gold  cartridge  cap,  upon  which  is  engraved,  "  From 
Mark  Gray  to  Edwin  Booth,  April  23,  1879."  This, 
as  a  grim  reminder  of  his  danger  and  escape,  he  wears 
as  an  Egyptian  might  wear  an  amulet.  By  subsequent 
measurement  the  aim  of  the  lunatic  was  shown  to  have 
been  very  clever,  for  had  Booth  risen  at  the  proper  and 
expected  moment  one  of  the  bullets  at  least  must  have 
passed  through  his  heart. 

The  newspapers  were  filled  with  wild  accounts  of  the 
shooting  affray,  and  telegrams,  cable  despatches,  and 
letters  from  "  troops  of  friends  "  served  to  show  him 
how  high  he  stood  in  the  estimation  of  his  countrymen 
at  home  and  abroad.  He  needed  such  sympathy  to 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


177 


stimulate  him  in  the  pursuit  of  his  profession,  for  so 
many  adverse  circumstances  seemed  to  conspire  to  ener- 
vate and  overcome  his  powers.  When  this  engagement 
closed  he  gladly  took  his  departure  from  Chicago,  and 
did  not  act  again  until  October  6th,  when  he  performed 
at  Ford's  Opera  House  in  Baltimore  for  two  weeks, 
going  thence  to  the  Broad  Street  Theatre,  Philadel- 
phia, under  the  same  management.  At  the  Grand 
Opera  House  in  New  York  he  fulfilled  an  engagement 
of  four  weeks.  In  March,  1880,  he  acted  under  Mr. 
Abbey's  management  at  the  Park  Theatre,  Boston.  It 
was  one  of  the  finest  engagements  on  record,  and  cre- 
ated the  greatest  excitement.  The  sale  of  seats  lasted 
from  eight  A.  M.  until  eight  p.  M.  A  long  unbroken  line 
of  people  was  at  the  box-office  during  those  hours, 
and  before  the  close  of  the  second  week  all  the  seats 
were  sold  for  the  remainder  of  the  engagement.  Crowds 
were  nightly  turned  from  the  doors,  and  every  available 
spot  in  the  theatre  was  given  up  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  audience. 

At  Booth's  Theatre,  New  York,  in  April,"  1880,  he 
played  four  weeks  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Ab- 
bey, and,  after  an  engagement  in  Brooklyn,  performed 
Petruccio  at  the  Madison  Square  Theatre,  New  York,  for 
the  benefit  of  "The  Edgar  Poe  Memorial  Fund,"  his 
last  appearance  in  America  before  his  trip  to  Europe. 

On  the  1 5th  of  June  he  was  tendered  a  public 
breakfast  at  Delmonico's,  New  York,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  successful  entertainments  ever  given  in 
America,  and  probably  the  highest  compliment  ever 
paid  to  any  member  of  his  profession.  The  church, 


1 78 


THE    YOUXGER  BOOTH. 


the  bench,  the  bar,  the  world  of  letters,  arts,  and  affairs, 
all  gathered  to  do  honor  to  the  departing  actor,  and  to 
express  their  appreciation  of  him  as  an  artist  and  a  man. 
Speeches  were  made  by  Judge  John  R.  Brady,  who 
presided,  by  Judge  Charles  P.  Daly,  Algernon  S.  Sulli- 
van, Edmund  C.  Stedman,  Rev.  Robert  Collyer,  Rev. 
Ferdinand  C.  Ewer,  Lawrence  Barrett,  Lester  Wallack, 
Joseph  Jefferson,  William  Warren,  and  a  poem  written 
for  the  occasion  was  read  by  William  Winter. 

Booth  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  joth  of  June, 
1880,  with  his  wife  and  daughter.  After  spending 
some  months  in  travel  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the 
Continent,  he  opened  the  New  Princess's  Theatre,  Lon- 
don, on  the  6th  November,  1880,  as  Hamlet.  Sub- 
sequently, at  this  house,  he  appeared  as  Richelieu, 
Bertuccio,  Othello,  lago,  Petruccio,  Shylock,  and  King 
Lear.  Of  this  successful  engagement,  and  of  that 
which  followed  at  the  Lyceum  Theatre,  London,  un- 
der the  management  of  Henry  Irving,  where  he  played 
logo  and .  Othello  with  that  gentleman,  alternating  the 
parts,  there  is  not  space  to  speak  here. 

Edwin  Booth  still  lives,  and  still  pursues  his  career 
of  usefulness  in  his  profession.  Therefore  it  is  hardly 
time  yet,  and  it  should  perhaps  fall  to  the  lot  of  some 
other  writer,  to  analyze  the  nobility  of  his  character, 
and  unveil  to  the  public  the  beauties  of  his  private  life. 
Let  it  be  said  merely  that  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man 
Edwin  Booth  has  been  always  devoted,  upright,  true ; 
the  kindest  and  most  tender  of  sons  to  an  erratic  father 
and  to  a  widowed  mother,  in  every  other  relation,  as 
brother,  husband,  father,  friend,  worthy  of  affection  and 


THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 


179 


of  all  praise.     Long  may  it  be  ere  "  Finis  "  is  written 
in  his  volume  of  life  ! 

For  what  she  has  said  in  these  pages  the  writer  can 
only  quote  for  her  defence  this  curt  excuse,  — 

"  If  I  have  spent  my  time  ill  to  write, 
Let  them  not  be  so  idle  as  to  read." 


LINES   TO   EDWIN    BOOTH. 

WRITTEN    IN    ITALY,     1875. 

IN  dim  old  palaces,  in  ancient  galleries, 
Through  dusty  corridors  and  sunless  aisles, 

Thy  weird  voice  taunts  me, 

Thy  strange  face  haunts  me 
With  sombre  brooding  or  with  radiant  smiles. 

What  grand  pale  faces  fill  these  quaint  places  ! 
What  sculptured  heroes  and  perfected  art,  — 

Dim  clue  affording, 

And  yet  according 
This  deathless  beauty  with  thy  living  heart. 

True  art  thus  purely  transmitted  surely 
Through  all  the  ages  ever  new,  — 

Thine  artist  spirit 

Could  but  inherit 
A  gift  so  wondrous,  rare,  and  true. 


l8o  THE    YOUNGER  BOOTH. 

Some  dark  grim  hero,  or  blood-stained  Nero, 
Link  thee  and  Gloster,  the  Moor,  Macbeth, 

While  Bruno  sainted, 

Divinely  painted, 
Is  Hamlet  apostrophizing  Death. 

Under  night's  cover,  Francesca's  lover 
Hath  Romeo's  passion-tender  face  ; 

And  Shylock  even 

Declaims  to  Heaven 
In  an  old  Rabbi's  holy  place. 

'T  is  not  home-longing,  nor  memory  thronging, 
Nor  yet  the  love  'tween  thee  and  me, 

That  thus  I  trace 

Thy  voice  and  face 
In  sculpture,  painting,  minstrelsy  ! 

But,  magical  spirit,  none  can  inherit 
Thine  awful  greatness,  save  thine  alone  ! 

From  earliest  times 

Thro'  various  climes 
Nature  preserves  her  monotone. 

From  youth  to  age,  this  heritage 
Guard  thou  with  loving  jealousy, 

That  men  may  name  thee, 

Thy  country  claim  thee, 
A  son  of  genius,  incorrupt,  and  free. 


INDEX. 


ABBEY,  HENRY  E.,  177. 
Abbott,  Wm.  (of  Covent   Gar- 
den), 13. 

Aberdeen,  Scot.,  50. 
Academy  of  Music,  Brooklyn, 

'75- 

Academy  of  Music,  Philadel- 
phia, 153. 

Adams,  Edwin,  170,  171,  172. 

Adelphi  Theatre,  Baltimore,  80. 

Adelphi  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, 103. 

Albany,  New  York,  175. 

Alfieri,  Vittorio,  69. 

American  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, 142. 

Amsterdam,  Holland,  74. 

Anderson,  David  C.,  138,  139, 
140,  174. 

Anderson,  Gen.  Robert,  164. 

"  Andromaque,"  76,  77,  78. 

"A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old 
Debts,"  72,  148,  171. 

Annapolis  Theatre,  Md.,  80. 

Antony,  Mark,  5. 

"  Apostate,  The,"  75,  168. 

Archer,  Mr.,  81. 

Arch  St.  Theatre,  Philadelphia, 
93.  '53.  '75- 


Aspinwall,  U.  S.  of  Colombia, 

130. 
"As  You  Like  It,"  11. 


BACON,  LORD,  150. 
Badeau,  Adam,  151. 
Baltimore,  Md.,  4,  63,  71,  80, 

8 1,  89,  91,  94,  98,  107,  120, 

121,  126,  130, 145,  146,  150, 

163,  168,  175,  177- 
Bancroft,  George,  164. 
"  Barbarosa,"  n. 
Barrett,  George  H.,  96. 
Barrett,    Lawrence,    150,    151, 

157,  172,  178. 
his  Ruy  Bias,  157,  158. 
Barren,  Charles,  167. 
Barry,  Thomas,  147. 
Barry,  William,  134. 
Barrymore,  William,  32. 
Barton,  Theodore,  130. 
Bateman,  Mrs.  H.  L.,  95  note. 
Bateman,  Kate,  171. 
Becker,  Lady  (Miss  O'Neill), 

19. 

Belair,  Md.,  66,  126-128. 
Benton,  Mr.,  58. 
Beverly,  Eng.,  49. 


1 82 


INDEX, 


Bignall,  Mr.,  72. 
Birmingham,  Eng.,  95. 
Blake,  Louis,  96. 
Blake,  William  R.,  96. 
Blake,  Mrs.  William  R.,  96. 
Bloomsbury,  London,  4. 
Blount,  Mr.  (Collector  of  Cus- 
toms), 63,  64. 
Blythe,  Captain,  8. 
Boileau,  Nicholas,  101. 
Boise,  Mme.,  77. 
Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  69. 
Booth,  Algernon  Sydney,  8. 
Booth,    Asia    (Mrs.    John     S. 

Clarke). 

her  name,  95  note, 
mention,  98,  113,  115. 
Booth,  Ed-win  ("  The  Younger 

Booth  "). 
his  birth,  119. 
early   youth   and   education, 

1 2O  et  sey. 
association  with   his  father, 

1 20  et  seq. 

devotion  to  his  father,  124. 
theatrical  debut,  125. 
first     appearance     in    New 

York,  127. 

first  regular  engagement,  130. 
supports  his  father  in  Cali- 
fornia, 103,  130  et  seq. 
professional   life  in  Califor- 
nia, 131-139,  141-145- 
hardships,  134. 
first  appearance  as  Hamlet, 

'37- 

visits  Australia,  139,  140. 
visits  Honolulu,  140,  141. 
returns  to  California,  141. 
creates  Raphael  in  "  The 

Marble  Heart,"  142. 


Booth,  Edwin  ("The  Younger 

Booth"). 

first  plays  Lear,  145. 
returns  to  the  East,  107,  145. 
marries    Mary   Devlin,    146, 

152. 

appears  in  Boston,  148. 
appears  in  New  York,  149. 
professional    tours    through 

the    United    States,     150, 

158,  168,  169,171,173,175, 

177- 

his  "Prompt  Books,"  151. 
plays  "  Fool's  Revenge,"  152, 

153- 
first  visit  to  England  (1861), 

154. 
professional  life  there,  154- 

156- 

returns  to  America,  157. 
death  of  the  first  Mrs.  Booth, 

157- 
manages  Walnut  Street 

Theatre,  1 58. 
manages      \Vintcr     Garden 

.  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  158. 
manages     Boston     Theatre, 

1 66. 
receives  "  Hamlet  Medal," 

164-166. 
builds  Booth's  Theatre,  168, 

169. 
his  management  of  that 

house,  169-172. 
bankruptcy,  172,  175. 
marries  Mary  M'Vicker,  171. 
second  visit    to    California, 

174. 

the  attempt  to  shoot  him,  174. 
breakfast  given  him  in  New 

York,  177,  178. 


INDEX. 


Booth,  Edwin  ("  The  Younger 
Booth"). 

second     visit    to     England 
(1880),  178. 

professional  life  there,  178. 

his  personal  character,   178, 
179. 

his  Bertuccio,  152,  153. 

his /famkt,  153, 159, 1 60, 163, 
165. 

his  Macbeth,  153. 

his  Raphael,  142. 

his  Richard  II.,  173. 

his  Richelieu,  150,  156,  167. 

his  Shylock,  154,  155. 

his  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  148, 
149. 

Geo.  Wm.  Curtis  on  his  act- 
ing, 160-162. 

William  Winter  on  his  act- 
ing, 163,  164. 

Richard    O'Gorman   on   his 
acting,  165. 

mention,  95,  99,  102. 
Booth,  Airs.  Edwin  (Mary  Dev- 
lin). 

her  marriage,  152. 

her  death,  157. 

mention,  146,  154. 
Booth,      Mrs.     Edwin     (Mary 
M'Vicker). 

supports  Edwin  Booth,  168. 

her  marriage,  171. 

her  death,  171  note. 

mention,  151,  170,  173,  178. 
Booth,  Edwina,  156,  178. 
Booth  Farm  in  Maryland. 

description  of,  66  et  seq. 

mention,  91,  98,  114, 119,  126, 

145,  146. 
Booth,  Henry  Byron,  95. 


Booth,  John  (grandfather  of 
Junius  Brutus  Booth),  4, 
7,8. 

Booth,  John  Wilkes,  152,  159. 
Booth,  Junius   Brutus    ("The 

Elder  Booth"), 
his  birth,  3. 

youth  and  early  education,  8. 
theatrical  debut,  9. 
early  theatrical  experiences, 

9,  12. 
first  appearance  in  London, 

'3- 

his  resemblance  to  Kean, 
1 3  et  seq.,  20,  40,  42. 

rivalry  with  Kean,  13  etseq. 

the  Booth-Kean  riots,  29  el 
seq. 

plays  at  Stratford,  47. 

marriage,-  52. 

sails  for  America,  53. 

American  debut,  54. 

appears  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
55  et  seq. 

appears   at   New  York,  62, 

63- 

appears  at  Boston,  65. 

appears  at  Philadelphia,  71. 

desires  to  keep  a  lighthouse, 
64,  65. 

purchases  "  The  Farm,"  66 
et  seq. 

his  life  on  "The  Farm," 
69  et  seq. 

visits  Europe  (1825-26),  71. 

professional  life  there,  73,  74. 

returns  to  America,  74. 

manages  Camp  Street  Thea- 
tre, New  Orleans,  76. 

plays  in  the  French  language, 
76-78. 


1 84 


INDEX. 


Booth,   Junius   Brutus   ("The 

Elder  Booth  "). 
manages  Annapolis  Theatre 

(Md.),  80. 
supports  Kean  in  Baltimore, 

81. 

illness,  92,  93,  94. 
visits  Europe  (1836-37),  94. 
professional  life  there,  94. 
returns  to  America,  96. 
attempts  to  follow  Conway, 

97- 

accident  to  his  nose,  97. 
last  ten  years  of  his  life,  98 

et  seq. 
visits  California,  102  et  seq., 

130  et  seq. 

professional  life  there,  103. 
last     appearance    in     New 

York,  100. 
last  appearance  on  the  stage, 

104. 

last  bill,  105. 
final  illness,  106. 
death,  106,  134. 
burial,  107. 
anecdotes  of  his  eccentricity, 

no. 
religious  belief  and  devotion, 

in,  114,  115. 
kindness  and  charity,  98,  99, 

109. 

his  genius,  109. 
his  home  life,  113. 
his  personal  character,   in, 

112,  113,  132. 
as  Brutus,  100,  101. 
as  Tago,  21  et  seq.,  40,  42,  82. 
as  Lear,  50,  51. 
as  Luke  in  "  Riches,"  82. 
as  Orestes,  78. 


Booth,    Junius  Brutus   ("  The 

Elder  Booth"), 
as  Posthunnts,  41  et  seq. 
as   Second  Actor  in   "Ham- 
let," 81. 

as  Shy  lock,  49,  101  et  seq. 
as  Sertorius,  88,  89. 
as    Sir    Edward   Afortimer, 

48,  59,  60,  83,  85  et  seq. 
as  Sir  Giles  Overreach,  45. 
as   Richard  III.,   13  et  seq., 

40,  44,  54,  55  et  seq.,  62. 
as  Reuben  Glenroy,  82. 
his  reading,  79. 
Win.   Godwin's   opinion    of 

his  acting,  44,  45;  X.  M. 

Ludlow's,   55  et  seq.;    W. 

W.     Clapp's,    65 ;     John 
"Howard  Payne's,  83 ;  J  E. 

Murdock's,  84  et  seq. ;  Ru- 

fus  Choate's,  109. 
mention,    119,  120,  121,  122, 

123,  124,  125,126,  127,129, 

130,131,  132,  141,  I43.MS. 

146,  148,  149,  173. 
Booth,  Mrs.  Junius  Brutus,  52, 

55,  92,  94, 99, 106, 107, 108, 

122,  135,  159. 
Booth,  Junius  Brutus,  Jr.,  89, 

90,  102,  130,  131,  132,  133, 

US-  '3<>- 
assumes      management      of 

Booth's  Theatre,  172. 
Booth,   Richard  (father  of  the 

Elder  Booth). 

his  letter  to  John  Wilkes,  5, 6. 
arrival  in  America,  71. 
visit  to  Philadelphia,  92. 
death,  108. 

mention,  3,  4,  5,  73,  89,  95. 
Booth,  Sally,  n,  51. 


INDEX. 


I85 


Booth's  Theatre,  New  York, 
its  construction,  169. 
description,  169,  170. 
mention,  172,  175,  177. 
Boston,  Mass.,  65,  79,  96,  98, 
108,  121,  122,  147,  148, 149, 
154,  157,  162,163,  166,  175, 

177- 

Boston  Museum,  125. 
Boston  Theatre,  147,  166. 
Boulogne,  France,  53. 
Bowery  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  62,  93, 

96,  140. 

Brady,  Judge  John  R.,  178. 
Brentford,  Eng.,  8. 
Brevitt,  John  E.,  3,  4,  6. 
"Bride  of  Abydos,  The,"  75. 
Bridgenorth,  Eng.,  49. 
Brighton,  Eng.,  10.  • 

Brighton  Theatre  (Eng.),  9,  10, 

II,  12. 

Bristol,  Eng.,  74. 

Broad  Street  Theatre,  Phila., 

175.  177- 

Broadway  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  100. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  174,  175,  177 

Brooklyn  Theatre,  174. 

Brown,  David  Paul,  88. 

Brussels,  Belgium,  9,  74. 

Brutus,  Marcus,  5. 

"  Brutus  "  (Payne's),  50, 73, 100, 
167,  171. 

Buekstone,  J.  B.,  154,  155,  156. 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  175. 

Burke,  Thos.,  72. 

Burnet,  Bishop,  3. 

Burton,  Robt.,  69. 

Burton,  Win.  E.,  147. 

Butler,  M.  P.,  an  early  friend 
of  Edwin  Booth  in  Cali- 
fornia, 143,  144,  145. 


C/ESAR,  JULIUS,  171. 
Ceesar,  Octarius,  5. 
Calais,  France,  53. 
Cald-well,  Jas.  H.,  55,  76. 
Camp  St.  Theatre,  N.  O.,  76. 
Cassias,  Caius,  5. 
Chambers,  Hon.  Mrs.,  12,  52. 
Chapman,  Geo.,  135. 
Chapman,  S.,  74. 
Chapman,  Win.  B.,  135. 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  63,  97,  150, 

I52- 
Cheltenham,  Eng.,  46,  52. 

Chestnut    St.  Theatre,  Phila., 

71,  72,  88,  101. 
Chicago,  111.,  150, 168,  175,  176, 

177- 

Chippendale,  \Vm.,  I  56. 
Choate,  Rufits,  his  opinion  of  the 

Elder  Booth,  109. 
Chalet,  Mine.,  77. 
Churchville,  Md.,  66. 
Cincinnati,  O.,  79,  89,  105,  106, 

175- 

Cituinnatus,  7 1 . 

Ciocca,  Senora,  130. 

Cirencester,  Eng.,  46. 

City  Hall,  San  Francisco,  103. 

Clapp,  IVm.  W.,  his  account  of 
the  first  appearance  of  the 
Elder  Booth  in  Boston,  65. 

Clarke,  John  S.,  plays  in  Belair 
with  Edwin  Booth,  126 
et  seq. 

joint  partnership  with  Edwin 
Booth  in  Walnut  St.  Thea- 
tre, Phila.,  158;  Winter 
Garden,  N.  Y.,  158;  Boston 
Theatre,  166. 

mention,  121,  153,  167,  171, 
'75- 


1 86 


INDEX. 


Clarke,  Mrs.  John  S.  See  Asia 
Booth. 

Clarkenwell,  London,  3. 

Cleveland,  O.,  175. 

Clifton,  Ada,  158. 

Clozel,  Afme.,  77. 

Coburg  Theatre,  London,  50. 

Coleridge,  Samuel  T.,  69. 

Collier,  Jas.  W.,  158. 

Collyer,  Rev.  Robt.,  178. 

Caiman,  Geo.  (Younger),  59. 

"  Comedy  of  Errors,"  16. 

Compton,  Henry,  155. 

Con-way,  f1'.  B.,  157. 

Con-way,  Mrs.  F.  B.,  157. 

Con-way,  Wm.  A.,  75. 
his  death,  97. 

Cooke,  Geo.  Fred.,  19,  40,  54, 
58,  59,  62. 

Cooper,  John,  52. 

Cooper,  Thos.  A.,  61,  62,  71,  81. 

Cos-Cob,  Conn.,  173. 

Covent  Garden  Theatre,  Lon- 
don, 9,  ii,  12,  13,  14,  18, 
24,  26,  27,  28, 29, 30,  34,  35. 
36,38,45,47,49,  50,51,  56, 
72. 

"Crusader,  The,"  50. 

Curtis,  Geo.  Wm.,  his  opinion 
of  Edwin  Booth's  Hamlet, 
160-162. 

Cushman,  Charlotte,  153,  157. 

"Cymbeline,"  41. 

DALY,  AUGUSTIN,  173. 
Daly,  Judge  C.  P.,  164,  178. 
Dana,  Chas.  A.,  164. 
Dana,  S.  W.,  79. 
Dante,  69. 
Darley,  John,  72. 
Darley,  Mrs.  John,  72. 


Davenport,  E.  L.,  151. 

Davenport,  Jean  M.  (Mrs.  Lan- 
der), 101. 

Da-'is,  Mr.  (Manager,  N.  O.), 
76,  78- 

Dawison,  Bagumil,  167. 

Deal,  Eng.,  53. 

De  Bar,  Benj.,  105. 

Delmonico's  Restaurant,  N.  V. 

177- 

Deptford,  Eng.,  9. 
Detroit,  Mich.,  176. 
Dei'lin,  Mary.    See  Mrs.  Edwin 

Booth. 

Disraeli,  Benj.,  90. 
"Don  Cesar  de  Bazan,"  171. 
Dorchester,  Mass.,  157. 
Drury  Lane  Theatre,  London, 

^4,  18,  20,  24,  25,  26,  27, 

28,  34,  35.  36,  38. 49.  S2,  56. 

72,  73. 94- 

Dublin,  Ireland,  49,  74. 
Duff,  John,  81. 
Duff,  Mary  (Mrs.  John),  8l. 
Duffy,  Wm.,  93. 
Diigns,  Louis,  121. 
Dyott,  John,  167. 

EDINBURGH,  Scotland,  49,  96. 

Elgin,  111.,  176. 

Elliston,  Robt.  Wm.,  52,  73. 

"Enoch  Arden,"  171. 

Erskine,  Lord,  12. 

Essex,  Lord,  1 8. 

!•'.-•  tins,  .Mr.,  139. 

Evans,  Mrs.,  139. 

Ewer,  Rev.  Ferd.  C.,  137,  178. 

Ey tinge,  Rose,  158,  167. 

FAIRCHILD,  JOHN  (Scene-paint- 
er), 136. 


INDEX. 


l87 


Fairdough,  Boothroyd,  143. 
"  Fall  of  Tarquin."    See  "  Bru- 
tus." 

Farjeon,  B.  L.,  134. 
Farragut,  Admiral,  164. 
Fawcett,  John,  19,  20,  31,  32,  33, 

34,  35-  36,  38,  39.  Si- 
Fechter,  Ckas.,  156. 
Fifth  Ave.  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  170, 

175- 

Finn,  Henry  J.,  8 1. 
Fisher,  Chas.,  150. 
Fisher,  DariJ,  24. 
Flynn,  TAos.,8o,  81,  91,  94,  97, 

119. 

Flynn,  Mrs.  Thos.,  8l. 
Fontaine,  Ceo.  (alias  "  Lovett  "), 

99- 

"Fool's  Revenge,  The,"  152, 
158,  171. 

Ford,  John  T.,  146,  173,  177. 

Ford's  Opera  House,  Balti- 
more, 177. 

Forrest,     Edu<in,     the      Elder 
Booth's  admiration  of  his 
lago  and  Othello,  80. 
mention,  96,  119,  152. 

Forrest,  Mrs.  Edwin  (Cathe- 
rine Sinclair),  138,  141, 
142. 

Forrest  Home,  Phila.,  133. 

Forrest  Theatre,  Sacramento, 
142. 

"  Fortunio,"  52. 

Fredericks,  Wm.  S.,  101,  102. 

Front  St.  Theatre,  Baltimore, 
145,  146. 

Fulham,  Eng.,  159. 

Fullerton,  Wm.,  his  speech  at 
the  presentation  of  the 
Hamlet  Medal,  164. 


"GABRIELLE  DE  VERGY,"  76. 

Gam  (or  Game},  Mrs.  (grand- 
mother of  Junius  Brutus 
Booth),  8. 

Garrick,  David,  22,  44,  160. 

Garrow,  Mr.,  12. 

George  III.,  50. 

Gerome,  J.  L.  171. 

Gifford,  S.  R.,  164. 

Gilbert,  John,  150. 

Gilfert,  Chas.,  54,  55. 

Glasgow,  Scotland,  49. 

Globe  Theatre,  Boston,  175. 

Glossop,  Afr.  (Manager  of  Co- 
burg  Theatre),  50,  51. 

Gloucester,  Duke  and  Duchess 
of,  13,  25- 

Gloucester,  Eng.,  46,  52. 

Godwin,  Wm.,  his  letter,  43-45. 

Gorgona,  U.  S.  of  Colombia, 

130,  I31- 

Gould,  Thos.  R.,  his  opinion 
of  the  Elder  Booth's  Pes- 
cara,  75. 

his  account  of  the  breaking 
of  the  Elder  Booth's 
nose,  97. 

Graham,  Mr.  (Gilfert  and  Gra- 
ham), 54. 

Grand  Opera  House,  N.  Y., 
177. 

Grand  Opera  House,  Paris, 
169. 

Grant,  Gen.,  U.  S.,  151. 

Grass  Valley,  Nevada,  133. 

Gray,  Mark,  attempts  to  assas- 
sinate Edwin  Booth,  176. 

"Great  Eastern,"  Str.,  157. 

Greene,  John,  72. 

Greenmount  Cemetery,  Balti- 
more, 107. 


i88 


INDEX. 


Grimaldi,  Joseph,  95. 
"  Guy  Mannering,"  13. 


HAMBLIN,  THOS.,  79,  90,  91, 

92.  93.  Q6.  MO- 
Hamilton,  Wm.  //.,  140. 
Hamilton,  Mrs.  Win.  If.  (Miss 

Hamblin),  140. 
"  Hamlet,"  62,  65,  81,  99,  120, 

128,  131,  137,  IS'.1 53- 1 59. 

160,  163,  164-166,  169. 
Harley,  John  Pitt,  n. 
Harris,  Mr.  (Covent  Garden), 

9,  ii,  12,  17,  18,  19,  24,  50. 
Hathuxll,  Mr.,  72. 
Hathwell,  Miss  H.,  ^2. 
Hatteras,  Cape,  64. 
Haymarket  Theatre,  London, 

154. 

Hazard,  Mr.,  81. 
Hazlitt,  IVm.,  on   the  Richard 

III.  and  lago  of  the  Elder 

Booth,  40-41. 
"Henry  Vn I.,"  153- 
Hewitt,  John  H.,  on  the  genius 

of  Edwin  Booth,  120. 
Hickory,  Md.,  66. 
Hilliert,  Capt.,  74. 
Hoffman,  John  T.,  164. 
Holliday  Street  Theatre,  Balti- 
more, 81,  145. 
Holmes,  Mary  Anne.    See  Mrs. 

J.  B.  Booth  (Elder). 
Homer,  24. 
"  Honeymoon,"  9. 
Honolulu,  140. 
Howard    Athenaeum,    Boston, 

121,  151. 

Howard,  Mr.,  105. 
Howard,  Mrs.,  105. 


Howe,  Henry,  155. 
Hyde,  Susan,  120. 

"IRON  CHEST,  THE,"  47,  59, 
72,  83,  85  et  seq.t  104,  105, 

143.  I7l- 

the  Elder  Booth  in  the  play, 
48. 

/rr 7;/;',  Henry,  supports  Ed- 
win Booth  in  Manchester, 
Eng.,  in  1861,  156. 
associated  with  Edwin 
Booth  in  London,  in  1881, 
178. 

Tsherwood,  William,  81. 

"  Italians,  The,"  24. 

JACKSON,  GEN.,  79,  93. 

Jefferson,  John  (son  of  Joseph 
Jefferson  1st),  72. 

Jefferson,  Joseph  (Rip  Van 
Winkle),  146,  152, 171,  178. 

Jefferson,  Mrs.  Joseph  (Euphe- 
mia  Fortune,  wife  of  Jo- 
seph Jefferson  2d),  72. 

Jefferson,  Thomas  (son  of  Jo- 
seph Jefferson  ist),  72. 

Jenny  Lind  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, 103. 

Joe  (a  slave  on  the  Booth 
Farm),  70,  89,  90,  92. 

Jones,  Mr.,  105. 

"Julius  Caesar,"  52,  128,  159, 
171. 

KAMEHAMEHA  IV.,  141. 

"  Katherine    and     Petruchio," 

'43- 

Kean,  Charles,  8 1,  160. 

Kean,  Edmund,  his  resem- 
blance to  the  Elder  Booth, 
13.  '4,  «5,  '7.  20,4°.  42. 


INDEX. 


189 


Kean,   Edmund,   rivalry    with 

the  Elder  Booth,  13  et  seq. 

mention,   12,  40,  41,  52,  54, 

62,  65,   71,   73,    156,    160, 

168,   173. 

Kearney,  Mr.,  121. 
AVrt/J,  John,  69. 
Keene,  Laura,    138,    139,    140, 

147. 

AW/<y,  ^/m  F.  M.,  24. 
Kemble,  Charles,  51. 
Kemble,   John   Philip,    10,  41, 

168. 

Kemble,  T.  D.,  105. 
A"<r«/,  /?«&•  tf/i  50. 
"  Killing  No  Murder,"  33. 
"  King  John,"  159. 
"King  Lear,"  50,  52,  145,  173. 
Kotzebue,  Augustus  F.  F.,  128. 
Kuntze,  Edward  J.,  \  56. 


"  LADY  OF  LYONS,  THE,"  171. 
Lamb,  Mr.    (of   Drury  Lane), 

18. 
Lander,   Mrs.     See    Jean    M. 

Davenport. 
Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  N.  Y., 

147. 

"  Lear."     See  "  King  Lear." 
"Lear  of  Private  Life,  The," 

51-  52- 

Leblanc,  Mons.,  77. 
Lee,  Arthur,  6,  7. 
Leicester,  Eng.,  73. 
Lemaitre,  Fred.,  \  56. 
Lewellen,  Mr.,  105. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  159. 
Liverpool,  Eng.,  73,  156. 
Lock,  John,  69. 
Lockport,  N.  Y.,  175. 


London,  Eng.,  3,  6.  9,  13,  38, 

44,  45.  49,  56>  62,  73,  95, 

96,  154,  156. 
Louisville,    Ky.,   89,   99,    123, 

150,  175. 

Lovett.     See  Geo.  Fontaine. 
Ludlow,  Eng.,  52. 
Ludlcnv,  N.  M.,  109. 
his  account  of  the  American 

de"but  of  the  Elder  Booth, 

55- 

Lyceum  Theatre,  London,  178. 
Lyceum  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  174. 


"MACBETH,"  16,  74,  128,  153, 

157,  171- 

Macready,  Wm.,  74. 
Macready,  Wm.  C.,  41,  51,  73, 

74,  "3- 

Madeira,  island  of,  53,  55. 
Madison      Square      Theatre, 

N.  Y.,  177. 
Mahomet,  95  note. 
"  Maid  and  the  Magpie,"  IT,  14. 
Maidstone,  Eng.,  52. 
Manchester,  Eng.,  156. 
"  Marble  Heart,  The,"  142. 
Margate,  Eng.,  6. 
Marshall,  Edmund  A.,  loo. 
Marysville,  Cal.,  134, 135. 
Mason,  Charles  Kemble,  167. 
"  Mayor  of  Garrett,"  63. 
McCullough,  John,  151,  174. 
McEntee,  Jervis,  164. 
McKinney,  Mr.,  81. 
"  Medusa's  Wreck,  The,"  51. 
Melbourne,  Australia,  140. 
Melville,  Mr.;  105. 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  150. 
Mercer,  Mr.,  81. 


190 


INDEX. 


"  Merchant  of  Venice,  The," 
101,  128,  167,  171. 

Metropolitan  Theatre,  N.  Y., 
147. 

Metropolitan  Theatre,  San 
Francisco,  141. 

Milton,  John,  69. 

Mobile,  Ala.,  89,  93,  1 50. 

Montgomery,  Ala.,  150. 

Montflturi,  Mons.,  76. 

Murdoch,   Jas.   £.,    his   recol- 
lections    of      the     Elder 
Booth,  84  et  seq. 
mention,  101,  138. 

Murray,  Mr.,  72. 

M'Vicker,  Jos.  H.,  150,   173, 

»74,  175- 

M'  Victor,  Mary.  See  Mrs.  Ed- 
win Booth. 

M'Vicker's  Theatre,  Chicago, 
150- 

NAGLE,  JOSEPH  E.,  105. 

Napoleon  I.,  69. 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  79. 

Natchez,  Miss.,  79. 

National  Theatre,  N.  Y.  (Chat- 
ham Street),  100,  127. 

National  Theatre,  N.  Y.  (cor. 
Leonard  and  Church 
Streets),  94. 

Neilson,  Adelaide,  171. 

New  Orleans,  La.,  63,  76,  77, 

89.93.94,98,  104,  151. 

Newport,  Eng.,  49. 

"New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts," 
72,  148,  171. 

New  York,  61,  62,  63,  73,  75, 
91,  96,  109,  r32,  145,  147, 
149> '53,  157,158,  162,  164, 
166,172,173,175,177,178. 


Niblo's  Garden  Theatre,  N.  Y., 

158. 

Norfolk,  Va.,  54,  55,  63. 
Norwich,  Eng.,  52. 

O'GORMAN,  RICHARD,  164. 

Olympic  Theatre,  N.  Y.  (Mit- 
chell's), 96. 

O'Neill,  Miss  (Lady  Becher), 
19. 

Opti,  Mrs.  Amelia,  51. 

"Oroonoko,"  93. 

Ostend,  6. 

"Othello,"  20,  21,  22,  24,  25, 
26,  44,  49,  74,  80,  82,  94, 
169,  170,  171. 

Oxberry,  Win.  Henry  (Oxber- 
ry's  "  Dramatic  Biogra- 
phy "),  24. 

PALEY,  WM.,  69. 

Panama,  102. 

Paris,  France,  4,  6,  156,  167, 

169. 

Park  Theatre,  Boston,  175, 177. 
Park  Theatre,  N.  Y.  (Old),  61, 

62,   75,  80,   93,    97,     147, 

1 60. 

Parsons,  T.  W.,  157. 
Pasquin,   Anthony    (Dr.    Wil- 
liams), his  letter,  9. 
Payne,  John  Howard,  83,  100. 
Peabody  Institute,  Baltimore, 

121. 
Pemberton     House,     Boston, 

122. 

Penley,  Mr.  (Manager),  9. 
Pentonville,  Eng.,  95. 
Perry,  H.  A.,  100. 
Petersburg*  Theatre  (Va.),  55, 

56,  59,  60. 


INDEX. 


Philadelphia,  Pa.,  71,  88,  92, 
93,  94,  96,  i  oi,  133,  153, 
157,  158,  163,  166,  175, 

177- 

Phillips,  Mr.,  91. 
Picioli,  Signor,  122. 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  175. 
"  Pizarro,"  18. 
Placidf,  Mme.  (Jane  Placide), 

77- 

Plutarch,  69. 
Pot,  Edgar  Allan,  177. 
Potter,  Estelle,  105. 
Potter,  John  S.,  105. 
Princess's    Theatre,     London, 

156,  178. 

Purdy,  Alex.  H.,  ICXD. 
Pythagoras,  90. 

Qrix,  JAMES,  22. 

RACINE,  JOHN,  69,  76,  77,  78. 

/?«/,  y.,  24,  25,  34,  35. 

Raphael,   160. 

Reading,  Eng.,  52. 

"  Review,  The,"  105. 

Rice,  Thos.  D.,  96. 

"  Richard  II.,"  173,  176. 

"Richard  III."  Elder  Booth 
as  Richard  III.,  at  Covent 
Garden,  13  et  seq.,  29  et 
seq. ;  at  Drury  Lane,  18  et 
seq.,  36  et  seq. 

.cast  of  the  play  in  Philadel- 
phia, on  the  occasion  of 
his  debut  there,  72. 
criticisms  of  the  acting  of 
the  Elder  Booth  in  the 
part  of  Richard,  43,  57  et 
seq.,  62. 


"Richard  III.,"  mention,  12, 
47,  49,  5°,  53.  55.  5$,  65, 
73.  76,  94,  96,  i23>  I25. 
127,  128, 131, 136, 140,  141, 
148,  149, 1 57,  159,169,  171. 

"Richelieu,"  128,  150,  156,  167, 
171. 

"  Riches,"  82. 

Richmond,  Va.,  .55,  56,  57,  58, 
59,  60,  61,  71,  loo,  146, 
150. 

Richmond  Theatre  (Va.),  53, 
90,91. 

"  Robert  Macaire,"  121. 

Roberts,  Mr.,  8 1. 

Rochefort,  Mons.  (Actor),  77. 

Rochester,  Eng.,  52. 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  175. 

Roe,  John,  141. 

"  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  170,  171. 

Rotterdam,  Holland,  74. 

Rousseai4,  J.  J.,   144. 

Royal  Academy,  London,  156. 

Royal  Hawaiian  Theatre,  Ho- 
nolulu, 140. 

Royalty  Theatre,  London,  73. 

Russell,  Richard,  55,  56,  57,  58. 

"  Ruy  Bias,"  157. 


SACRAMENTO,  Cal.,  103,  131, 
135,  142,  143. 

Sadlers  Wells  Theatre,  Lon- 
don, 95. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  174. 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  102,  103, 

»3».  »3S.  '39-  MO,  141,  143, 

144,  145,  174. 
Savannah,  Geo.,  63,  150. 
Scarborough,  Eng.,  49. 
Scheller,  Methua,  167. 


INDEX. 


Schlegel,  Friedrich,  146. 
Scott,  John  R.,  ioo,  129. 
Scribe,  August  Eugene,  78. 
Scrivener,  Mr.,  72. 
Sedley,  Henry,  142. 
Sefton,  John,  81. 
"  Sertorius,"  88. 
Setchell,  Daniel  £.,  1 50. 
Shakspere,  46,  47,   49,  50,   65, 

69,  79,  106,  109,  128,   143, 

147,  149,  156, 160, 164,  166, 

i?o,  173- 

"  Shakspere  Amoureux,"  76. 
Shelley,  P.  B.,  43,  69. 
Shiel,  Richard  Lalor,  75. 
Sicklemar,  Mr.,  10. 
Siddons,  Mrs.,  168. 
Simmons,  Mr.,  79. 
Simpson,  Edmund,  80. 
Sinclair,  Mrs.  Catherine.     See 

Mrs.  Edwin  Forrest. 
"Smiles  and  Tears,"  12. 
Smith,  Mark,  105,  150. 
Sot  hern,  E.  A.,  155. 
Southey,  Robt.,  95. 
.S/Var,  GV0.,  133,  134. 
Stark,  James,  139. 
St.  Charles  Theatre,  N.  O.,  104, 

105,  108. 

Stedman,  Edmund  C.,  178. 
St.  John  of  Jerusalem  (church), 

London,  3. 

St  Louis,  Mo.,  150,  175. 
Stone,  Mrs.,  105. 
"  Stranger,  The,"  128. 
Stratford-on-Avon,  46. 
Stuart,  Wm.,  158,  159. 
Sullivan,  Algernon  S.,  178. 
Surrey  Theatre,  London,  95. 
Sydney,  Australia,  140. 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  175. 


TABARY,  MONS.,  77. 

Talma,  76. 

Tasso,  69. 

Tatnall,  Mrs.  Samuel,  72. 

Taylor,  Thos.  ("  Tom  "  Taylor). 

152- 

Tennyson,  Alfred,  171. 
Ternan,  Mr.,  96. 
Theatres : 
Academy  of  Music,  Brooklyn, 

'75- 
Academy  of   Music,  Phila., 

'53- 

Adelphi  Theatre,  Baltimore, 
80. 

Adelphi  Theatre,  San  Fran- 
cisco, 103. 

American  Theatre,  San 
Francisco,  142. 

Annapolis  Theatre  (Md.), 
80. 

Arch  Street  Theatre,  Phila., 

93.  153.  175- 
Booth's  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  169, 

170,  172,  175,  177. 
Boston  Museum,  125. 
Boston  Theatre,  147,  166. 
Bowery  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  62, 

93,  96,  140. 
Brighton  Theatre    (Eng.),  9, 

10,   II,  12. 

Broad  Street  Theatre,  Phila., 

175.  '77- 
Broadway  Theatre,   N.   Y., 

ioo. 

Brooklyn  Theatre,  174. 
Camp  Street  Theatre,  N.  O., 

76. 
Chestnut     Street     Theatre, 

Phila.,  71,  72,  88,  101. 
Coburg  Theatre,  London,  50. 


INDEX. 


193 


Theatres : 

Covent  Garden  Theatre, 
London,  9,  n,  12,  13,  14. 
18,  24,  26,  27,  28,  29,  30, 

34,  35.  36>  38'  45.  47.  49. 
50,  51,  56,  72. 

Prury  Lane  Theatre,  Lon- 
don, 14,  iS,  20,  24,  25,  20, 

-;.  -\  34,  35.  36.  3s.  42. 
52,  56,  72,  73,  y.|. 

Fifth  Avenue  Theatre,  N.  Y. 
(aSth  Street),  170,  175. 

Ford's  Opera  House,  Balti- 
more, \~~. 

Forrest  Theatre, Sacramento, 
142. 

Front  Street  Theatre,  Balti- 
more, 145,  146. 

Globe  Theatre,  Boston,  175. 

Grand  Opera  House,  N.  Y., 

"77- 
Grand  Opera  House,   Paris, 

169. 

Haymarket     Theatre,     Lon- 
don, 154. 
Holiiday     Street     Theatre, 

Baltimore,  81,  145. 
Howard  Athenaeum,  Boston, 

121,  151. 
Jenny    Lind    Theatre,    San 

Francisco,  103. 
Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  X. 

Y.,  147- 
Lyceum    Theatre,    London 

178. 
Lyceum      Theatre,     N.    Y., 

174. 
Madison     Square    Theatre, 

N.  Y.,  177. 
Metropolitan  Theatre,  X.  Y., 

147. 


Theatres : 

Metropolitan  Theatre,  San 
Francisco,  141. 

M'Vicker's  Theatre,  Chi- 
cago, 150. 

National  Theatre,  N.  Y 
(Chatham  Street),  100, 127. 

National  Theatre,  N.  V. 
(cor.  Leonard  and  Church 
Streets),  94. 

Niblo's  Garden,  N.  Y.,  158. 

Olympic  Theatre,  N.  Y., 
(Mitchell's),  96. 

Park  Theatre,  Boston,  175. 

«77- 
Park  Theatre,  X.  Y.   (Park 

Row),  61,  62,  75,  So,  93, 

97,  147,  160. 
P«tersburg  Theatre  (Va.),  55, 

56,  59,  60 
Princess's  Theatre,  London, 

156,  178. 
Richmond  Theatre  (Va.),  53, 

90,91. 
Royal     Hawaiian     Theatre, 

Honolulu,  140. 
Royalty  Theatre,  London,73- 
Sadlers  Wells  Theatre,  Lon- 
don, 95. 
St.  Charles  Theatre,  N    O., 

104,  105,  108. 
TheStre    d'Orleans,    N.   O., 

76,  78- 
Tremont     Street     Theatre, 

Boston,  79. 
Walnut       Street      Theatr*, 

PMla.,  158. 
Winter  Garden,  N.  Y.,  147, 

1 57, 158, 1 59,  163,  167,  168. 
Worthing  Theatre  (Eng.),  9, 

II,  12. 


194 


INDEX. 


Theatre  d'Orleans,  N.  O.,  76, 
78. 

TAoman,  Jacob,  125. 

Thompson,  Latint,  164. 

Titian,  160. 

Torning,  Mr.,  140. 

Tremont  Street  Theatre,  Bos- 
ton, 79. 

Trotter,  Thos.,  9,  10,  n. 

Tuckerman,  Henry  T.,  \  53. 

UTICA,  N.  Y.,  175. 

VALE  (Author  of  "The  Act- 
or "),  79. 

Vandenhojf,  Charles,  168,  169. 
Vandyck,  160. 
"  Venice  Preserved,"  80. 
Venua,  Wellesley,  142. 
Vincent,  Naomi,  91. 
Virginia  City,  Nevada,  174. 
Volandt  (Musician),  107. 

WALLACK,  HENRY,  72. 
Wallack,  James  W.  (Elder),  52, 

62 

Wallack,  Lester,  178. 
Waller,  D.  W.,  132. 
Walnut  Street  Theatre,  Phila., 

158. 

Warley  Common,  Eng.,  6. 
Warren,  Wm.  (Elder),  72,  81. 
Warden,  Wm.  J Younger),   his 

debut,  121.          ^ 
mention,  178, 
Washington,  Gen.  Geo.,  4.    . 
Washington,  D.  C.,  100,  146, 


Washington,  N.  C.,  64. 

"  Water-Porter's  Family,  The," 

78. 

Wells,  Mary,  158. 
"  Werner,"  113. 
Weymouth,  Eng.,  52. 
Wlieatley,  Wm.,  153,  158. 
White,  "  Clem,"  140. 
Wilkfs,  Elizabeth  (grandm<flher 

of  the  Elder  Booth),  3. 
Wilkes,  John,  3,  4,  7, 8. 
Wilkins,  Marie,  167. 
Williams,  Barney,  167. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Biriify,  167. 
Williams,    Dr.    J.     (Anthony 

Pasquin),  9,  10,  12. 
Wilson,    Mr.     (Drury     Lane), 

1 8. 

Windsor,  Eng.,  12. 
Winter  Garden  Theatre,  N.  V., 

147,  157,158,159,163,  167. 
burned,  167,  168. 
"Winter's  Tale,"  171. 
Winter,  William,    his    account 

of    the    youth    of    Edwin 

Booth,  124. 
edits        "Edwin         Booth's 

Prompt  Books,"  151. 
his  opinion  of  Edwin  Booth's 

Hamlet,  163,  164. 
reads  a  poem  at  the  Booth 

Breakfast,  178. 
Wood,  Wm.  B.,  72. 
Woolwich,  Eng.,  45,  46. 
Worthing  Theatre,  Eng.,  9,  n, 


YORK,  ENG.,  49. 
Young,  Charles,  41,  73. 


A     000  11 1  554     2 


